PH^ 


MERRILL  TILESTON 


CHIQUITA 


CHIQUITA 


AN  AMERICAN  NOVEL 


I    The  Romance  of  a  Ute  Chief's  Daughter 


BY 


MERRILL  TILESTON 


PUBLISHED   BY 

THE  MERRILL  COMPANY 

CHICAGO,    U.    S.    A. 
MCMII. 


Copyright  1902  by 

H.  M.  Tileston 
Chicago,  U.  S.  A. 
All  rights  reserved 


CONTENTS. 


i. 
H. 

in. 

IV. 

v. 

VI. 
VII. 


CHAPTER 
CHAPTER 
CHAPTER 
CHAPTER 
CHAPTER 
CHAPTER 
CHAPTER 
CHAPTER  VIII. 
CHAPTER  IX. 
CHAPTER  X. 
CHAPTER  XI. 
CHAPTER  XII. 
CHAPTER  XIII. 
CHAPTER  XIV. 
CHAPTER  XV. 
CHAPTER  XVI. 
CHAPTER  XVII. 


Page, 

A  Bozrah  Bornin',        ...  7 

On  the  Firing  Line  of  Civilization,  33 

Cats,  Traps  and  Indians,              .  50 

Old  Joe  Riggs,              .  71 

The  Camp  in  the  Willows,            .  82 

The  Ranch  on  the  Troublesome,  no 

Chiquita  Wooed  by  Antelope,            .  124 

A  Glimpse  of  Home,           .            .  134 

Ute  Big  Warrior — No  Plow,    .            .  143 

The  Blazing  Eye  Mine,      .            .    -  171 

College  Vacations,        .           .           .  180 

Jack  Wedded,          ...  192 

Estes  Park,        ....  212 

Chiquita  Graduates,           .            .  256 

A  Hospital  and  A  Boarding  House,  263 

Galling  Yokes  of  Civilization,       .  274 

Whence  Come  My  People?     .            .  293 


M1203S 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


FRONTISPIECE,           .           .           .           .  "Chiquita" 

YAMANATZ,            .           .           .           *           .  52 

THE  CAMP  IN  THE  WILLOWS,          .           .  .                103 

ANTELOPE — THE  WARRIOR,  1877,          .           .  .           132 
ANTELOPE — THE  CIVILIAN,  1902,    ....     168 

THE  "  KEYHOLE"— LONG'S  PEAK,       .           .  .           212 

"  SHE  LAY  TO  REST''  ON  HER  BOULDER  BED,  .            .     232 

THE  TEPEE  ON  THE"  GRAND  RIVER,      .            .  .           303 


CHIQUITA. 


CHAPTER  I. 
A  BOZRAH  BORNIN'. 

A  tallow  candle  shed  its  sickly  and  flickering  light 
in  the  front  room  of  an  ancient  farm  house,  as  Jack 
Sheppard  announced  his  arrival  on  earth  at  four 
o'clock  on  a  Friday  morning.  He  arrived  in  a  snow 
storm,  and  it  was  a  very  select  gathering  of  some  of 
old  Bozrah's  prominent  citizens  who  greeted  his  entry 
into  the  world.  There  was  old  Doctor  Pettingill,  with 
square-rimmed,  blue-glass  spectacles;  Grandma  Pais 
ley,  who  didn't  care  for  avoirdupois,  just  so  it  was  a 
boy ;  Aunt  Diantha,  with  portentous  air  and  red  mit 
tens,  while  in  the  kitchen,  dozing  by  the  big  fire 
place,  was  Uncle  Zebedee,  who  had  driven  over  from 
Pudden  Hollow  the  evening  before  to  learn  the  news 
and  "  set  up  "  all  night  in  order  to  be  of  assistance  in 
case  of  necessity. 

The  whole  Deerfield  valley  was  interested,  and  it 
made  no  difference  if  the  snow  did  play  tag  up  and 
down  the  necks  and  on  the  faces  of  all  Bozrah  as 


8  CHIQUITA 

they  brought  paregoric,  feather  pillows,  goody-goodies 
and  all  the  useful  uselessnesses  that  each  and  every 
one  had  kept  for  years  and  years  awaiting  a  possible 
occasion.  There  was  an  old  brass  warming-pan  that 
Deacon  Baxter  used  to  warm  the  bed  for  Governor 
Winthrop,  and  a  hot  water  jug  which  Great-grandma 
Lathrop  averred  warmed  the  feet  of  every  one  of  her 
seventeen  "  darters  and  grand-darters."  There  was 
also  a  quilt  made  of  silk  patches,  each  patch  taken  from 
a  dress  that  some  colonial  dame  had  worn  when  she 
danced  the  stately  minuet  at  a  great  function  in  Bos 
ton  or  Albany. 

All  these  good  people  had  a  successful  way  of  bring 
ing  up  children  in  the  paths  of  self-reliance,  respect, 
thrift,  endurance  and  honesty  which  made  stalwart, 
orthodox  patriots. 

The  Sheppards  were  an  old  English  family  who  set 
tled  in  New  England  late  in  the  seventeenth  century — 
three  brothers,  one  of  which,  according  to  ye  olden 
tyme  records,  planted  the  elm  trees  in  front  of  the 
meetyngehouse  on  Dorchester  hill;  these  trees,  at  the 
age  of  sixty  or  seventy  years,  being  cut  down  by  the 
British  during  the  Revolutionary  War.  The  descend 
ants  of  the  three  brothers  were  thrifty  men,  large  of 
physique  and  of  great  executive  ability,  the  women 
the  loveliest  of  the  colonies — families  of  sterling  in 
tegrity,  wealth  and  esteem. 


A  BOZRAH  BORNIN'  9 

"  Thad  "  Sheppard,  Jack's  father,  was  in  some  re 
spects  an  exception,  he  being  a  man  of  the  world,  of 
the  wild,  dangerous  class,  handsome  and  talented,  but 
lacking  the  balance  wheel  which  magnetic  tempera 
ments  usually  require.  He  was  admired  by  both  men 
and  women  to  the  point  of  the  danger  line,  for  his 
schemes  wrecked  many  a  fortune  and  family,  ulti 
mately  losing  him  the  confidence  of  all.  "  Thad  "  loved 
one  of  the  beautiful  daughters  of  the  Deerfield  valley, 
and,  despite  the  protestations  of  friends  and  relatives, 
she  married  him,  claiming  she  could  do  what  none 
thus  far  had  been  able  to  accomplish — reform  him. 
"  Thad's  "  habits  had  not  been  curbed.  Life  was  too 
gay  for  thoughts  of  the  sombre  hereafter,  and  the 
sedate,  sober  counsel  of  the  old  men  was  scorned, 
but  their  predictions  were  to  be  most  cruelly  fulfilled. 
Yet  there  was  that  confiding  love,  that  desire  to  ac 
complish  miracles,  which  swayed  the  fair  young  girl 
of  the  Deerfield  hills  to  sacrifice  herself  in  the  hope  of 
reform.  Oh,  what  a  waste  of  time  for  any  woman! 
What  debauchery  of  intellect,  what  a  prostitution  of 
a  fair  and  beautiful  life;  utter  folly,  deliberate  social 
suicide,  with  its  months  and  years  of  anguish  and  de 
basement  for  the  mere  gratification  of  an  impulse! 
To  be  sure,  there  are  some  moments,  comprising  even 
days  or  months,  when  happiness  reigns,  but  do  these 
few  hours,  which  grow  farther  apart,  shorter  and 


10  CHIQUITA 

shorter,  as  time  wears  away,  compensate  for  the  mil 
lions  of  silent,  expectant  moments  during  which  the 
uncomplaining  w'ife  watches  for  that  unerring  expres 
sion  which  never  deceives  her?  Is  there  any  excuse 
a  mother  can  give  her  daughter,  budding  into  woman 
hood,  for  bringing  her  into  the  world  to  face  disgrace, 
possibly  crime?  Does  a  son,  born  of  such  parents, 
have  that  respect  and  confidence  toward  father  and 
mother  that  he  should? 

Sue  Paisley  lived  on  that  beautiful  farm  where  Jack 
was  born.  She  was  on  a  visit  while  "  Thad  "  attended 
important  business  in  the  great  cotton  markets  of  the 
South.  She  loved  the  brook  that  gurgled  and  splashed 
along  its  course.  Nodding  bluebells  coquetted  with 
the  tiny  wave  crests,  while  the  grass  along  the  bank 
waved  little  blades  in  defiance  at  the  roar  of  its  voice. 
Each  summer  Sue  sang  its  praises  to  the  tinkle  of  the 
whetstone  as  the  farm  hand  sharpened  his  scythe,  tink, 
tink,  tinkety  tink.  When  she  married,  she  left  the 
long  rows  of  maple  trees,  the  great  red  barn,  the  stuffy 
parlor,  the  spare  room  with  its  high  feather  bed  and 
Dutch  clock ;  the  big  round  dining  table  with  tilting 
top,  blue  and  white  chinaware,  and  the  long  well  sweep, 
to  become  hostess  in  the  more  pretentious  surround 
ings  of  a  small  city  on  the  Connecticut,  living  long 
enough  to  realize  how  futile  were  her  efforts  to  stay 
the  temptations  which  beset  "  Thad  "  on  every  hand. 


A  BOZRAH  BORNIN'  11 

Misfortune  overtook  all  his  financial  investments,  and, 
as  one  enterprise  followed  another  in  the  maelstrom  of 
speculation,  Sue's  life  ebbed  away,  leaving  Jack  and 
his  sisters  to  be  cared  for  by  a  spinster  aunt,  who  un 
dertook  the  responsibility  at  the  earnest  solicitation  of 
"  Thad." 

The  awakening  from  sin  was  that  of  genuine  re 
morse  and  sorrow.  With  the  characteristic  determi 
nation  of  those  rugged  ancestors,  "  Thad  "  broke  off 
all  his  former  boon  companionships,  started  on  en 
tirely  new  lines  of  life  and  succeeded  in  living  down 
the  awful  past.  In  a  few  years  he  remarried,  giving 
Jack  a  mother  who  learned  to  love  her  stepson  as  her 
own.  Jack  was  not  the  ever  industrious  boy  in  school, 
but  he  was  quick  to  learn  both  kinds  of  knowledge, 
useful  and  mischievous.  That  is  the  reason  why  the 
old  red  school-house,  at  the  top  of  the  hill,  held  pleas 
ant  recollections  for  him  in  after  life.  Of  course, 
"  J-A-C-K  "  was  carved  into  the  top  of  every  desk  at 
which  he  sat  and,  as  the  first  row  of  desks  was  the 
"baby"  or  A,  B,  C  row,  the  next  one  a  little  larger,  and 
so  on,  the  four  rows  of  "  boxes  "  represented  four 
classes,  and  Jack  managed  to  stay  in  each  class  long 
enough  to  carve  his  name  where  future  generations 
would  find  it. 

"  He's  the  most  trying  pupil  in  the  school,"  was 
what  the  teacher  told  everybody  in  the  little  village. 


12  CHIQUITA 

When  the  snow  was  deep,  Jack  took  his  dinner  in  a 
little  basket,  just  the  same  as  the  other  scholars,  and 
at  the  noon  recess  he  was  always  in  the  games  in  which 
the  girls  liked  to  have  a  few  of  the  nice  boys  to  help 
out.  Two  chairs,  facing  each  other,  with  a  little  gap 
between  them,  then  a  ring  of  boys  and  girls  holding 
hands  to  circle  around  between  the  chairs,  while  a  boy 
and  a  girl  stood  on  the  chairs,  hands  clasped  across 
the  gap,  all  joining  in  singing  the  little  couplet : 

"  The  needle's  eye  that  does  supply 

The  thread  that  runs  so  true, 
I've  caught  many  a  smiling  lass, 
And  now  I  have  caught  you." 

It  was  the  boy's  turn  to  choose  the  girl  he  wanted  for 
a  partner,  and  she  had  to  submit  to  the  penalty  of  a  kiss 
before  she  could  mount  the  chair.  The  desks  were  ar 
ranged  in  horseshoe  form,  and  of  course  the  favorite 
seats  were  in  the  back  row,  farthest  away  from  the 
teacher,  but  Jack  generally  managed  to  be  on  a  line  with 
the  first  nail  hole  in  the  horseshoe  by  the  time  the  first 
third  of  the  term  was  reached.  This,  so  the  teacher 
could  better  keep  her  eye  on  him. 

It  was  near  the  end  of  the  summer  term  that  a  lit 
tle  event  occurred  which  made  a  lasting  impression  on 
Jack.  His  seat-mate  was  an  ungainly  little  urchin  who 
had  the  faculty  of  being  cunning  without  being  smart. 
His  name  was  "  Ted  "  Smith,  but  he  was  better  known 


A  BOZRAH  BORNIN'  13 

as  "  Ted  Weaver,"  for  he  had  a  habit  of  rocking  to  and 
fro  from  one  hand  to  another  while  he  studied.  Jack 
happened  to  be  busy  with  lessons  when  some  one  shot 
a  paper  wad  at  one  of  the  scholars,  which  missed  the 
scholar  but  hit  the  teacher  on  the  cheek. 

Miss    Freeman    was    spare    and    angular,    with    a 
pointed  rose-colored  nose,  hard,  cold-gray  eyes,  and 
long  neck  circled  with  a   severe  white  linen  collar, 
which  lay  flat  over  the  prominent  collar  bones.     The 
black   waist   of  her   dress   was   severely  plain,   with, 
seemingly,  a  gross  of  buttons  made  of  wooden  molds 
covered  with  the  dress  fabric.     The  skirt  covered  an 
area  of  floor  space  that  was  in  keeping  with  the  period 
before   the  Civil   War,   when   hoop   skirts   ruled   the 
fashion,  and,  as  the  "  tilter  "  tilted,  it  could  be  seen 
the   school    ma'am   enumerated   among  her   personal 
belongings   a  pair  of  white  hose  and  cloth  gaiters. 
A  head  of  luxurious  hair  was  parted  exactly  in  the 
middle  and  divided  into  three  portions,  two  side  and 
back  strands,  the  side  strands  twisted  to  the  temples, 
then  the  smooth  flat  surface  gracefully  looped  over  the 
tops  of  the  ears  until  the  curve  of  the  hair  reached  the 
eyebrows;   the  ends  of  the  strands  were  then  formed 
into  a  foundation,  around  which  the  back  hair  was 
wound,  after  a  sufficient  quantity  had  been  properly 
separated  for  curls — long  ones  for  the  side,  or  short 
ones  to  dangle  idly  behind. 


14  CHIQUITA 

When  the  paper  wad  struck  Miss  Freeman  a  rap 
immediately  brought  the  school  to  order.  With  a 
searching  gaze  she  tried  to  locate  the  evil  doer,  and 
her  well-trained  eye  rested  on  Jack,  who  innocently 
looked  up  to  see  the  cause  of  the  unusual  summons  "  to 
order."  Jack  knew  who  shot  the  wad,  for  he  had 
noticed  the  culprit  shoot  others  earlier  in  the  day,  a 
performance  which  had  escaped  the  teacher's  notice 
and  cheek. 

"  Jack,  did  you  throw  that  paper  wad  ?  "  she  asked, 
her  voice  as  cold  and  hard  as  that  of  the  second  mate 
of  a  three-masted  brig. 

"  No,  ma'am." 

"  Do  you  know  who  did  throw  it  ?  " 

Jack  would  not  tell  a  lie  about  the  wad,  so  he  an 
swered  slowly,  "  Yes,  ma'am." 

"Who  did  it?" 

There  was  no  reply. 

"Who  threw  the  wad?" 

She  had  flushed  to  her  hair  at  the  commencement  of 
the  inquisition,  but  now  the  color  slowly  receded  and 
the  lines  in  her  severe  face  became  like  those  in  stone. 

"  Unless  you  tell  me  who  threw  the  wad  I  shall  pun 
ish  you." 

Jack  remained  silent.  His  little  bosom  filled  with 
wrath  because  the  culprit  would  not  speak  up;  but 
his  honor  was  so  strong  that  he  would  not  be  "  telltale." 


A  BOZRAH  BORNIN'  15 

The  teacher  reached  for  her  switch  and  told  Jack  to 
step  forward.  Like  a  little  man  he  marched  up  to  her 
desk  and  stood,  not  defiant,  but  humble  and  submis 
sive,  awaiting  his  punishment.  Miss  Freeman  stepped 
down  from  the  platform  with  switch  in  hand,  and 
again  demanded  the  name  of  the  guilty  one. 

"  I'll  never  tell,"  said  Jack  in  a  whisper. 

There  was  a  swish  in  the  air  and  a  sharp  cracking 
noise  as  the  rod  smote  Jack  around  the  fleshy  part  of 
his  legs. 

"  Will  you  tell  now  ?  "  asked  the  teacher  again. 

Jack  made  no  answer,  but  shook  his  head  and  stifled 
a  sob.  He  knew  if  he  relaxed  his  firmly  shut  teeth  he 
would  cry,  so  he  gritted  them  and  prepared  to  receive 
the  following  blows  without  flinching.  Thoroughly 
maddened,  the  school  ma'am  finally  threw  off  all  en 
deavor  of  restraint  and  showered  blow  after  blow  upon 
poor  Jack's  arms,  legs  and  Dare  feet,  for  it  was  summer 
and  Jack  followed  the  custom  of  other  boys.  But,  it 
is  needless  to  say,  that  was  the  last  day  he  went  bare 
footed.  The  switch  was  broken,  but  not  the  spirit  in 
the  boy.  He  had  given  way  to  tears,  which  gushed 
forth  because  of  bodily  pain.  He  sought  to  protect  his 
feet  and  grabbed  the  infuriated  school  ma'am's  skirt, 
and  as  the  blows  descended  he  swung  under  the  pro 
tecting  expanse  of  hoops.  This  piece  of  strategy  per 
plexed  the  teacher,  and  as  she  had  broken  all  her 


16  CHIQUITA 

switches  she  had  to  suspend  hostilities  until  a  new  sup 
ply  was  gathered.  Leaving  Jack  and  the  school  room, 
she  hastened  to  the  willows,  which  grew  in  abundance 
just  back  of  the  building,  and  brought  in  a  stick  as  big 
as  a  cane,  just  in  time  to  see  Jack  disappearing  through 
the  window  and  his  sturdy  little  legs,  all  striped  with 
red  marks,  making  tracks  for  home. 

Episodes  of  this  character  followed  Jack  all  through 
his  school  life.  He  had  a  stern  father,  who  always 
punished  his  children  if  they  were  punished  at  school, 
no  matter  what  the  excuse,  and  on  this  occasion  there 
was  no  exception,  only  in  place  of  another  "  birching" 
the  filial  duty  was  limited  to  sending  the  boy  to  bed 
without  anything  to  eat,  so  he  could  reflect  upon  the 
awful  crime  of  disobedience  to  his  teacher. 

Nature  has  ever  been  prodigal  in  the  distribution 
of  her  favors  and  disfavors,  limiting  her  generosity 
in  the  picturesque  to  certain  localities,  and  giving  in 
abundance  to  the  arid  regions,  as  well  as  to  the  fertile 
valleys.  But  in  her  selfish  allotments  no  upheavals  in 
the  vast  chaos  of  creation  furnished  man  an  abiding 
place  so  compatible  with  his  Puritanical  doctrines  as 
the  forbidding  rock-walled  coast  of  New  England  and 
the  everlasting  hills  extending  back  to  the  Hudson 
River,  with  their  beautiful  slopes,  sinuous  streams  and 
forest-scented  dales.  And  it  was  among  these  hills 
that  Jack  found,  even  in  his  younger  days,  that  pleas- 


A  BOZRAH  BORNIN'  17 

tire  and  freedom  which  afterward  was  intensified  by 
his  associations  with  the  forest-born  red  man. 

Old  Bozrah,  where  he  first  saw  the  light  of  day, 
was  the  Mecca  to  which  his  longing  gaze  was  ever 
turned,  even  as  he  studied,  worked  or  played,  and  no 
greater  treat  was  in  store  for  him  than  the  one  looked 
forward  to  when  his  father  hitched  up  "  Old  Jerry  "  to 
drive  that  long  twenty  miles,  through  villages  and  past 
cross-road  stores,  to  the  old  farm  house.  "  Old  Jerry  " 
was  known  even  better  than  "  Thad "  Sheppard. 
Every  factory  hand  on  Mill  River  from  where  it 
emptied  into  the  Connecticut  to  the  great  reservoirs  in 
the  Goshen  hills,  and  every  farmer,  merchant  and 
preacher  knew  "  Thad  "  and  "  Old  Jerry." 

"  Thad  "  was  well  aware  of  the  danger  that  lurked 
in  the  old  reservoirs  and  knew  the  day  would  come 
when  the  torrent  would  burst  forth  and  sweep  all  the 
industries  away,  and  Jack  wondered  why  everybody 
looked  so  grave  and  serious  when  the  spring  freshets 
made  the  brooks  roily  so  he  could  not  fish.  In  after 
years  when  that  animated  devastating  fortress  of  trees, 
rocks  and  factory  debris  crushed  its  way  down  the  val 
ley,  receiving  its  propulsive  force  from  the  waters 
which  broke  forth  from  bondage,  Jack  remembered 
those  grave  and  serious  faces. 

But  it  was  among  the  hills  of  the  Deerfield  valley 
that  Jack  loved  best  to  wander  and  to  fish  for  trout,  or 


18  CHIQUITA 

to  help  Uncle  Zebedee  and  Uncle  John  in  planting  or 
haying  or  "  salting  "  the  cattle,  or  gathering  apples 
on  hills  so  steep  that  the  fruit  rolled  a  rod  sometimes 
after  falling  from  the  trees. 

In  the  old  barn  at  milking  time,  when  the  cows  were 
yoked  to  their  feed  racks,  Jack  helped  give  them  hay — 
nice  new  clover — and  then  waited  and  watched  Aunt 
Sally  strain  the  warm  fluid  into  'the  bright  pans,  fear 
ing  the  while  she  would  forget  the  little  cup,  which 
he  kept  moving  from  one  place  to  another,  and  which 
she  seemed  never  to  see  until  almost  the  last  drop  in 
the  pail  was  reached.  Churning  day  was  always  wel 
come  to  Jack.  The  old  yellow  churn,  which  stood 
near  the  big  water  trough  in  the  wash  room,  had  to  be 
brought  into  the  kitchen,  and  then  he  would  turn  the 
paddle  wheel  round  and  round,  listening  to  the  patter 
of  the  blades  as  they  splashed  into  the  cream,  until 
finally  he  knew  by  the  sound  that  the  butter  had 
"  come." 

Jack  did  not  like  Saturday  night  very  well,  for  at 
sundown  on  the  last  day  of  the  week  those  good  ortho 
dox  folks  commenced  their  Sunday.  Saturday  after 
noon  was  given  to  baking  cake  and  other  dainties  and 
getting  the  house  in  order  for  the  Lord's  Day.  The 
men  folks  were  shaved  clean  and  all  the  chores  were 
done  and  supper  ended  before  sundown.  Then  the 
old  black  leather  Bible  was  taken  from  the  shelf  and 


A  BOZRAH  BORNIN'  19 

all  gathered  around  for  family  prayers.  These  devo 
tions  were  held  every  night  about  bedtime,  but  Sat 
urday  evening  was  the  beginning  of  the  Sabbath,  and 
services  were  held  earlier  and  longer  than  on  other 
days  of  the  week.  The  room,  with  its  chintz-covered 
lounge,  rag  carpet,  Dutch  clock,  and  chairs  upholstered 
in  haircloth,  seemed  more  sacred  on  Saturday.  The 
Bible  was  read,  a  lesson  given  from  the  shorter  cate 
chism,  and  several  of  Watts'  hymns  repeated  by  all 
together,  or  by  volunteers,  as  the  spirit  moved ;  a  song 
or  two,  then  all  would  kneel  devoutly,  while  Uncle 
John,  in  deep  stentorian  voice,  prayed  long  and  ear 
nestly  for  the  divine  grace,  which  sustains  the  righteous 
through  the  snares  and  temptations  of  the  wicked 
world ;  after  which  all  retired. 

On  Sunday  no  work  was  done  that  could  be  avoided, 
and  at  an  early  hour  in  solemn  procession  all  filed 
out  to  the  vehicles  which  conveyed  them  to  the  vil 
lage  two  and  one-half  miles  away.  The  horses 
knew  it  was  Sunday  and  devoutly  raised  one  leg 
at  a  time  in  covering  the  distance.  The  minister 
knew  it  was  Sunday  and  exhorted  his  hearers,  with 
threats  of  dire  hell  and  damnation,  to  mend  their 
ways.  Sunday  school  immediately  after  the  morning 
service,  then  lunch  at  the  wagons  or  on  the  steps  of  the 
church  or  in  the  church,  and  again  the  minister  un 
rolled  his  sermons  and  renewed  his  valiant  fight  in 


20  CHIQUITA 

redemption  of  sinners.  The  choir  stood  up,  the  leader 
struck  the  key  with  his  tuning  fork,  and  when  the 
"  pitch  "  was  duly  recognized  the  last  hymn  was  sung, 
followed  by  the  doxology  and  benediction.  All  hearts 
seemed  to  begin  life  anew  when  the  final  "  Amen  " 
was  pronounced,  and  although  the  long  hill  had  to  be 
ascended,  it  took  less  time  than  it  had  to  descend  in 
the  morning.  It  was  dinner  time  when  the  farm  was 
again  reached  and  all  were  hungry.  After  the  meal 
the  family  gathered  in  the  parlor,  with  its  fragrant 
odor  of  musty  walls,  varnished  maps  and  stuffy 
ancientness  which  pervaded  everything.  Here  the 
conversation  dwelt  upon  the  goodness  of  the  Lord, 
misfortunes  of  the  sick  in  the  neighborhood,  news  of 
which  had  been  learned  at  church,  or  other  topics  not 
too  worldly.  As  sundown  approached  the  men  folks 
commenced  to  get  ready  for  the  week's  work  and 
changed  their  clothes,  while  the  women  got  out  aprons 
and  put  away  their  "  Sunday  duds."  By  sunset  the 
wash  barrel  was  brought  forth  and  the  laundry  work 
for  Monday  commenced. 

In  the  wagon-shed  Uncle  John  had  his  scythe  ready 
to  grind,  and  as  Jack  turned  the  stone  he  said  to  him 
self,  "  Uncle  John  bears  down  harder  on  Sunday  night 
than  he  does  any  other  night  in  the  week." 

These  visits  to  the  old  farm  were  at  frequent  in 
tervals,  so  Jack  had  ample  opportunity  to  see  real 


A  BOZRAH  BORNIN'  21 

country  life  under  all  the  different  aspects  of  maple- 
sugar  making,  planting,  haying,  cutting  wood  for  the 
year,  and  building  stone  walls.  Berrying  was  about 
the  greatest  enjoyment,  next  to  catching  brook  trout, 
and  such  an  abundance  of  blackberries  in  the  pastures 
and  woods  where  portions  of  the  timber  had  been  cut 
out !  But  the  visits  came  to  an  end,  inasmuch  as  Jack's 
father  "  moved  west "  to  one  of  the  great  flour-milling 
cities,  which  flourished  at  the  close  of  the  Civil  War. 

In  the  west  Jack  received  his  final  education,  at  six 
teen  taking  leave  of  Latin,  algebra  and  rhetoric,  with 
one  term  in  the  high  school.  During  the  grammar 
school  incubation  Jack  learned  the  difference  between 
a  village  teacher  and  a  city  ward  instructor ;  also  that 
the  western  city  ward  boy  had  to  fight  occasionally, 
while  the  good  New  England  lad  was  in  mortal  dis 
grace  if  he  ever  presumed  to  raise  his  hands  against 
a  fellow  schoolmate.  Jack  had  been  warned  time  and 
again  by  his  father  not  to  fight,  as  it  was  wicked,  and 
severe  punishment  awaited  all  demonstrations  of  any 
thing  in  the  nature  of  a  "  scrap." 

It  was  but  natural  that  a  boy  who  would  not  fight 
should  become  the  target  for  every  pugnacious  lad  in 
the  school,  and  Jack  went  home  regularly  with  a  bloody 
nose  or  scratched  face,  as  a  result  of  some  misunder 
standing.  Not  only  would  he  get  larruped  by  the  big 
ger  boys,  but  little  fellows  half  his  size  walloped  him 


22  CHIQUITA 

good  and  plenty.  Then  the  teacher  had  to  make  an 
example  of  him  with  the  ruler,  and  finally  his  father 
finished  up  the  job  in  the  barn  or  across  his  knee  with 
the  hair  brush.  The  hair  brush  was  the  handiest  thing 
Jack  ever  encountered  in  his  "spare  (not)  the  rod" 
career.  One  day  he  went  home  with  a  frightful  cut 
in  his  lip  where  some  "  bully  "  of  the  school  had  kicked 
him.  His  father  lost  all  patience  and  Jack  pleaded  for 
a  hearing. 

"  Why  do  you  tell  me  it  is  wicked  to  fight  and  pun 
ish  me  for  getting  licked?  I  can  lick  any  boy  in  the 
school,  but  have  never  raised  my  hand  yet,  because 
you  told  me  not  to,  and  they  pick  on  me  all  the  time." 

It  was  a  revelation  to  the  parent  and  he  wondered 
at  his  own  obtuseness.  One  instruction,  one  little  les 
son  to  be  a  man,  he  gave  Jack :  "  Do  not  fight  for  the 
sake  of  showing  off,  or  to  be  a  '  bully/  but  defend 
yourself  always." 

Jack  was  all  excitement,  and  forgot  his  swollen  lip. 
His  father  continued :  "And  when  you  find  you  have 
to  defend  yourself,  strike  straight  from  the  shoulder 
and  hit  between  the  eyes,  downward,  like  that,"  and 
the  stern  old  man  took  a  crack  at  the  side  of  the  barn 
and  ripped  a  board  off,  besides  nearly  breaking  his 
knuckle.  Jack  went  to  school  that  afternoon,  and  at 
recess,  when  a  big,  red-headed  bully,  nicknamed 
"  Cross-eyed  Whittaker,"  commenced  to  tease  and 


A  BOZRAH  BORNIN'  23 

banter  him,  Jack  edged  away  as  usual,  but  with  eyes 
ablaze  and  fist  clinched.  He  saw  that  the  "  bully  "  was 
bent  on  showing  off,  and  knew  the  time  had  come  to 
make  the  first  stand  for  Jack.  Whittaker  was  about 
the  same  height,  but  much  heavier  in  build  than  Jack. 
Finally,  as  the  big  one  got  nearer  and  nearer  and  be 
came  more  and  more  offensive,  Jack  stood  his  ground, 
looking  the  "  bully  "  over  from  head  to  foot,  and  sud 
denly  said : 

"  You  miserable  coward,  you  have  picked  on  me  long 
enough.  Now  let  me  alone  or  take  the  licking  that  you 
deserve." 

The  other  boys,  of  course,  jumped  up  and  gathered 
in  a  ring.  "  Fight !  Fight !  "  was  yelled  by  a  hundred 
throats,  as  all  rushed  to  where  the  now  angry  combat 
ants  faced  each  other.  Jack  stood  poised  on  one  foot 
ready  for  any  emergency.  All  at  once  he  spied  the 
crony  of  the  "  bully  "  sneaking  through  the  crowd  of 
boys  to  get  behind  his  chum.  When  the  latter  saw 
his  "  pal  "  his  courage  increased  wonderfully,  but  ere 
he  had  time  to  put  into  execution  the  thoughts  upper 
most  in  his  mind,  Jack  made  a  feint,  a  step  back  and 
then  a  lunge  ahead  with  a  right-hand  smash  just  as 
he  had  seen  his  father  hit  the  board,  and  the  "  bully  " 
lay  at  his  feet  writhing  and  kicking  in  defeat. 

Whittaker  took  the  licking  very  much  to  heart,  and 
he  carried  a  scar  on  his  lip,  caused  by  Jack's  blow,  to 


24  CHIQUITA 

his  grave.  Jack  heard  occasionally  that  the  "  bully  " 
had  sworn  to  "  get  even/'  but  as  time  passed  and  their 
pursuits  carried  them  into  opposing  channels,  Whit- 
taker  soon  became  a  school-day  reminiscence  and  later 
was  not  even  remembered  by  name. 

Jack's  school  days  came  to  an  end  and  he  went  into 
his  father's  mill  to  work,  learning  the  various  methods 
of  flour  manufacture  and  manner  of  marketing  the 
product.  The  business  did  not  seem  to  take  his  fancy. 
"  Something  wrong  in  the  industry,"  he  would  often 
say  to  the  boss  miller.  "  Here  you  work  this  mill  day 
and  night,  turn  out  three  hundred  barrels  of  flour  every 
twenty-four  hours,  yet  lose  money  on  the  product  half 
the  time.  Six  months  of  the  year  is  a  loss,  but  none  of 
the  mill  owners  can  give  the  reason  why." 

"  You're  right,  kid ;  but  that  ain't  nothin'  to  me  to 
figger  out.  I've  been  dressin'  mill  stones  an'  cuttin' 
them  burrs  ever  since  I  was  your  age,  an'  it's  allus 
been  the  same.  Sometimes  it's  the  wheat,  sometimes 
the  weather,  but  in  the  end  it's  as  you  say.  P'raps  it's 
the  farmer,  who  asks  too  big  a  price." 

"  No,  it's  not  any  one  of  those  causes,"  said  Jack, 
meditatively.  "  It's  that  big  engine  down  there  eating 
up  coal  and  the  carrying  charge  to  get  the  flour  to 
market.  That's  what  ails  the  business.  Look,  now; 
see  that  farmer  with  a  load  of  wheat  on  the  scales. 
There's  father  out  there  taking  a  handful  out  of  one 


A  BOZRAH  BORNIN'  25 

sack  and  a  cupful  out  of  another.  (Look  out,  dad,  you 
may  strike  a  nest  of  screenings  shot  into  the  middle 
of  one  of  those  sacks  with  a  stove  pipe.)  He's  bought 
the  load  and  now  it's  going  into  the  hopper,  where  it 
will  in  all  probability  be  mixed  with  inferior  grades. 
Then  people  complain  the  flour  is  no  good,  and  you 
grind  up  a  lot  of  corn  meal  and  feed  it  back  into  the 
flour,  or  regrind  with  some  middlings,  until  one  can't 
tell  whether  it  is  flour  or  hog  feed,  and  where  are  the 
profits?  Now,  let  me  tell  you.  I  was  listening  the 
other  day  to  that  little  alderman  over  in  the  second 
ward.  He  was  talking  politics  and  business,  and  when 
he  was  not  roasting  '  Bob '  Ingersoll  or  General  Grant 
he  was  making  fun  of  Illinois  River  millers.  He  said — 
and  you  know  what  a  big  voice  the  little  fellow  has — 
he  said  this :  '  There's  a  town  up  by  St.  Anthony's 
Falls  that  will  turn  out  more  flour  in  a  day  than  we 
turn  out  in  a  week,  and  you  know  we  are  some  pump 
kins  with  our  flour  barrels,  ain't  we  ?'  " 

"Say,  kid,  you're  sure  of  what  you  just  said?" 
asked  the  miller,  interestedly. 

"..Sure  as  I  live,"  replied  Jack;  "why?" 

"  Well,  I'm  goin'  up  to  see  that  bit  of  water  near  St. 
Paul." 

"  The  nearest  town  is  Minneapolis,  a  little  suburb  of 
St.  Paul,"  answered  Jack,  remembering  his  geography 
lessons. 


26  CHIQUITA 

Between  oiling  machinery,  sacking  bran,  sewing 
flour  sacks,  heading  barrels,  sweeping,  and  occasional 
ly  "  learning  his  trade,"  as  he  called  it,  over  in  the 
cooper  shop,  Jack  got  to  be  pretty  well  posted  on  the 
manufacture  of  flour,  but  he  did  not  like  the  business 
and  finally  gave  it  up,  deciding  to  take  up  the  mercan 
tile  sphere  and  quit  the  field  wherein  the  foundations 
of  the  most  gigantic  fortunes  were  just  ready  for  the 
superstructure — flour,  oil,  harvest  machinery  and  pro 
visions,  to  say  nothing  of  the  contributory  railway 
and  telegraph  business.  He  went  to  Boston,  secured 
a  position  in  a  large  wholesale  establishment,  lived  in 
one  of  the  beautiful  suburban  cities  which  surround 
the  "  Hub  "  on  three  sides,  and  there  learned  the  lessons 
of  prudence,  sharp  buying  and  economical,  labor-saving 
methods,  which  were  in  contrast  with  the  wastefulness 
and  unsystematic  methods  prevalent  in  the  great  west. 
Not  long  after  Jack  was  well  established  his  father 
packed  up  the  family  belongings  and  moved  where  he 
could  be  with  his  son. 

In  a  little  country  village  fifty  miles  from  Boston,  on 
the  Newburyport  branch  of  the  B.  &  M.  R.  R.,  lived 
Hazel  Hemmingway.  When  Jack  Sheppard  was  a 
pupil  of  Miss  Freeman's  in  the  old  red  school  house 
back  in  the  hills  of  western  Massachusetts,  he  divided 
his  apple  with  Hazel,  dragged  her  white  sled  up  hill 
in  winter,  and  in  summer  made  for  her  peachstone 


A  BOZRAH  BORNIN'  27 

baskets,  which  he  whittled  out  with  his  "  Barlow  " 
knife.  There  was  no  girl  in  all  the  world  to  Jack  that 
compared  with  the  brown-eyed,  brown-faced  Hazel, 
and  no  boy  in  the  school  got  so  many  cookies,  bon-bons 
and  dainty  notes  slipped  into  arithmetic  or  grammar 
as  did  Jack. 

The  parting  when  Jack's  father  moved  to  the  west 
was  full  of  tender  good-byes  and  promises  to  "  write 
real  often  "  on  the  part  of  both — promises  which  each 
faithfully  kept.  As  the  years  passed  Mr.  Hemming- 
way  became  interested  in  a  shoe  factory  in  the  eastern 
part  of  the  state  and  moved  his  family  to  the  thriving 
little  manufacturing  town.  The  correspondence  con 
tinued  between  the  twain,  and  when  Jack  returned  to 
Boston  a  girl  to  womanhood  grown  knew  that  a  sup 
plementary  reason  caused  the  young  man  to  select 
Boston,  and  that  she  was  the  supplement.  Of  course 
no  one  else  ever  dreamed  the  truth. 

It  was  not  long  after  Jack  was  established  in  the 
"  Hub  "  that  he  made  the  first  visit  to  Hazel  in  her  new 
home,  spending  the  Sabbath  in  the  quaint  old  place 
which  was  within  the  pale  of  influence  spread  by  the 
historic  witchcraft  of  the  ancients.  The  renewal  of 
that  childhood  acquaintance  needed  no  flint  and  steel 
to  ignite  the  tiny  spark  of  smouldering  fire  into  a  flame 
of  enduring  love.  Jack  sat  dignified  and  martyr-like 
while  the  minister  preached  upon  the  evils  which  be- 


28  CHIQUITA 

set  the  young  and  dangers  to  the  worldly-minded. 
"  The  vain  glories  of  dress  and  fashion  are  an  abomi 
nation  of  the  Lord,"  said  the  man  of  God.  Jack  moved 
uncomfortably  in  his  new  suit  of  clothes,  while  Hazel 
from  her  choir  seat  telegraphed  her  convictions  that 
the  dominie  was  right,  just  to  plague  Jack.  And  when 
the  admonition  came,  "  He  that  loveth  pleasure  shall 
be  a  poor  man,"  Jack  said  to  himself,  "A  whip  for  a 
horse,  a  bridle  for  an  ass  and  a  rod  for  a  fool's  back." 
At  last  the  "  fourthly  "  came  to  an  end  and  so  did 
the  church  service  for  the  morning.  Jack  and  Hazel 
wended  their  way  to  her  home,  where  dinner  awaited 
them,  after  which  followed  a  walk  under  the  far 
spreading  elms  that  arched  the  roadway,  and  as  they 
walked  they  talked  of  childhood  pastimes,  joking  each 
other  of  forgotten  jealousies,  or  dwelling  upon  indeli 
bly  impressed,  attaching  episodes,  the  remembrance 
of  which  were  souvenirs,  non-negotiable  and  inde 
structible.  They  had  left  the  little  village  behind  and 
reached  a  large  pine  grove  where  the  Sunday-school 
picnic  was  annually  held.  Seating  themselves  upon  a 
rustic  bench,  Jack  told  of  his  life  in  the  far  distant 
west,  as  the  states  bordering  upon  the  Mississippi 
River  were  then  called,  finishing  with  his  return  to  the 
east  and  plans  for  the  future.  Hazel  was  an  attentive 
listener,  interrupting  occasionally  to  inquire  what  Ger 
tie  Whitcomb  looked  like,  or  if  Eva  Duncan  was 


A  BOZRAH  BORNIN'  29 

freckled,  or  Nellie  Courtney  a  good  skater,  as  Jack  in 
cluded  them  in  his  biography  of  events. 

"  Not  that  it  makes  any  difference,  Jack,  but  I — er — 
er — just  wanted  to  know,"  said  Hazel,  with  the  least  bit 
of  suspicion  in  her  manner. 

As  he  told  of  fastening  Nellie's  skates  for  her  and  of 
the  lovely  ice,  the  big  crowds  on  the  lake,  and  what  a 
pretty  girl  Nellie  was,  Hazel  kept  time  with  her  dainty 
foot  kicking  her  broad-brimmed  leghorn,  which 
dangled  by  the  string  from  her  hand,  finishing  by 
poising  the  hat  on  her  toe  while  she  disinterestedly  re 
marked,  "  Those  western  girls  have  such  large  feet ; 
I  suppose  they  have  no  trouble  standing  up  on  the  ice," 
a  remark  which  pleased  the  young  man  immensely, 
although  he  essayed  no  response. 

When  Jack  reached  his  plans  for  the  future  Hazel 
became  even  more  inclined  to  worry  the  historian  by 
a  rapid  fire  of  insinuations. 

"  I  suppose  you  will  have  to  go  on  the  road  and  take 
long  trips  out  west  to — sell  goods?  Shall  you  have 
the  choice  of  territory  when  you  get  to  be  a  sales 
man  ?  "  "Do  those  western  stores  carry  as  fine  a  line 
of  goods  as  our  folks  do  in  the  east?"  "The  styles  out 
there  are  about  two  years  behind  ours ;  don't  the  girls 
look  old  fashioned?"  To  all  of  which  Jack  had  one 
answer,  "  Yes." 

"  You  can  stop  saying  '  yes  '  all  the  time." 


30  CHIQUITA 

"  I  will,  Hazel  dear,  on  one  condition — that  you  say 
'yes.'" 

"  Yes,"  demurely  answered  Hazel. 

Just  then  from  a  near-by  hillside  came  the  tattoo  wel 
come  of  a  cock  partridge  "  drumming  "  for  his  mate, 
the  measured,  gradually  increasing  roar  making  the 
woods  resound  as  Mr.  Grouse  beat  the  hollow  log  upon 
which  he  strutted  up  and  down  until  his  coquettish 
spouse  approached  within  sight  of  her  liege  lord.  She 
came,  pecking  negligently  at  snails  and  bugs,  missing 
them  oftener  than  hitting  them,  but  she  didn't  care. 
She  scratched  at  imaginary  seeds,  inattentively  await 
ing  his  pleasure.  As  soon  as  the  cock  perceived  his 
bride  he  spread  his  tail  like  a  fan,  clucked  a  welcome 
and  flew  to  her  side. 

"  There,  my  dear,"  said  Jack ;  "  that  is  the  way  you 
must  obey  me  when  I  am  lord  and  master.  Be  very 
meek  and  let  me  do  the  splurging." 

"And  don't  I  get  a  chance  to  say  a  teeny,  weensy 
word?  Have  I  just  got  to  listen,  and  watch  the  man 
of  the  house  dry  the  dishes,  get  the  breakfast  (if  we 
can't  have  a  domestic)  and  " —  Hazel  rolled  her  eyes 
mockingly  meek  and  with  her  hands  "  Now-I-lay-me- 
down-to-sleep "  fashion,  continued,  "match  samples 
for  me  at  the  store  ?"  Jack  capitulated ;  his  grandeur 
collapsed  "  all  at  once  and  nothing  first,  just  as  bub 
bles  do  when  they  burst."  Two  merry  peals  of  laugh 
ter  echoed  through  the  pine-scented  woods. 


A  BOZRAH  3ORNIN'  31 

"  Sh !  Jack,  it  is  Sunday.  I  forgot  all  about  it,  and 
we  must  go  home.  Papa  will  wonder  where  I  am," 
and  a  little  red  spot  burned  on  each  cheek  as  she  sur 
mized  what  "  papa  "  would  say  when  he  found  out  that 
the  young  man  from  Boston  "  proposed  to  splurge." 

But  Jack's  splurging  was  all  make-believe.  In  the 
shadowy  recesses  of  the  great  elms,  as  they  retraced 
their  steps  toward  the  Hemmingway  mansion,  a  man 
ly  arm  stole  about  the  waist  of  the  lithesome  girl, 
whose  demure  "  yes  "  had  to  be  sealed  in  order  to  make 
it  real.  Mr.  Hemmingway  was  in  the  library  as  they 
entered  the  house.  Jack  nudged  Hazel  at  the  portent 
ously  contracted  brows  of  papa  and  the  stern  look  of 
inquiry  which  followed.  Hazel  quickly  stepped  into 
the  hall,  leaving  Jack  alone. 

"  Papa,  Jack — Mr.  Sheppard — wants  to  speak  to 
you  a  moment,"  then  she  flew  past  the  meekest  man 
that  ever  tried  to  splurge. 

"  Mr.  Hemmingway"-  Jack  got  that  far  and  it 
seemed  as  though  every  whisker  in  that  stern  face  be 
came  a  bristling  bayonet.  "I  think  you  must  be  able 
to  guess  my  mission." 

"  What  ?  No — no.  Jack,  you — why,  you  are  but 
a  boy,  and  Hazel" —  A  softer,  kindlier  expression 
crept  slowly  into  the  face  of  the  man  whose  only 
daughter  he  suddenly  realized  had  become  a  woman. 
"Jack,  I  moved  here  to  keep  my  child — to  get  her  away 


32  CHIQUITA 

from  the — from  the — it  is  no  use,  though.  I  guess  you 
will  be  good  to  her.  Let  me  see,  you  are  the  boy  who 
got  such  an  awful  whipping  once  because  you  would 
not  be  a  tell-tale,  and  a  boy  that  has  that  kind  of  grit, 
I  guess,  is  the  right  stuff  to  be  my  son-in-law. 
Hazel"— 

The  stern  old  man  went  out  upon  the  lawn  as  Hazel 
re-entered  the  library.  A  noise  as  of  some  one  vig 
orously  using  a  handkerchief  broke  the  stillness,  but 
even  then  the  old  man  chuckled  as  he  saw  two  figures 
silhouetted  upon  the  curtain.  "  Celebrating  my  con 
sent,  I  guess,"  he  soliloquized. 

"  Hazel,  you  had  better  pull  down  the  green  shade." 
Then  to  himself,  "These  children  have  no  conception 
of  the  propriety  of  things." 


CHAPTER  II. 

ON  THE  "  FIRING  LINE  "  OF  CIVILIZATION. 

The  summer  vacation  period  found  Jack  among  the 
old  hills  of  Bozrah,  his  first  visit  to  the  scenes  of  his 
childhood  since  making  Boston  his  home.  Six  years' 
business  and  social  life  in  and  about  the  "  Hub " 
launched  Jack  upon  the  world  a  polished  gentleman, 
refined,  cultured,  energetic,  well  qualified  to  step  into  a 
position  demanding  more  than  ordinary  ability. 

The  first  panic  in  his  experience  had  unsettled 
values,  trade  was  at  a  standstill,  confidence  was  lack 
ing,  men  hoarded  their  wealth  and  the  wheels  of  many 
mills  ceased  to  turn,  while  mill  hands  idly  walked  the 
streets  or  sought  labor  in  distant  parts  of  the  globe. 
The  great  electoral  dispute  of  "  eight  to  seven  "  still 
rankled  in  the  minds  of  many,  while  those  who  cared 
not  for  that  controversy  found  themselves  unable  to 
entertain  the  problems  of  manufacture  until  the 
changes  anticipated  in  the  tariff  should  be  made  by 
congress.  Realizing  that  the  east  gave  little  promise 
or  opportunity  for  a  young  man,  Jack  concluded,  soon 
after  his  vacation  ended,  to  resign  his  position  and  cast 


34  CHIQUITA 

his  lot  with  the  pioneer  on  the  frontier,  or,  at  least 
that  he  would  visit  Denver  and  see  what  the  chances 
were  there. 

The  breaking  off  of  fast  friendships  was  keenly 
felt;  business  and  social  acquaintances  admired  his 
"  grit,"  as  they  called  it,  but  were  skeptical  as  to  the 
ultimate  results.  Hazel  had  become  a  frequent  vis 
itor  at  the  Sheppard  mansion  and  made  it  her  "  home- 
in-law,"  as  she  called  it,  whenever  fancy  took  her 
cityward.  She  happened  to  be  there  when  Jack  de 
clared  himself. 

"  I've  resigned  my  job  and  am  going  to  Colorado 
within  a  month." 

"  Jack  Sheppard  !  What  ?  Going  to  Colorado  ? 
Going  to  leave  Boston  ?  Indians  !  You'll  come  home 
without  any  scalp!" 

Such  was  the  chorus  which  greeted  his  simple  an 
nouncement.  Hazel  cried,  his  mother  cried,  his  sisters 
moped  around,  and  his  father  patted  him  on  the  back. 
"  Go  and  see  the  world,  broaden  out,  the  experience 
will  be  worth  the  cost,  even  if  you  don't  stay/'  he  said, 
with  lots  of  emphasis  on  the  experience. 

Five  days  from  Boston  to  Denver.  Everything  was 
the  old,  old  story  of  farms,  villages  and  small  cities 
until  th'e  train  left  Kansas  City,  then  the  arid  plains 
opened  wider  and  wider,  the  towns  grew  farther  and 
farther  apart,  less  and  less  in  size  until  what  was 


THE  FIRING  LINE  OF  CIVILIZATION    35 

marked  a  station  on  the  trip  ticket  given  him  by  the 
conductor  proved  on  arrival  to  be  a  platform,  a  water 
tank  and  a  cowboy  straddle  of  a  "  buckskin/'  white- 
eyed  broncho.  These  scenes  in  truth  were  new  and 
Jack's  experience  had  commenced.  Occasionally  the 
water  tank  was  supplemented  by  a  saloon.  Great 
herds  of  cattle  grazed  along  the  unfenced  right  of  way 
of  the  railroad,  and  the  treeless  expanse  of  never  end 
ing  brown,  sun-burned,  alkali-spotted  plains  wearied 
the  eye,  the  mind  and  soul  in  their  wretched  monot 
ony.  The  slow-going  "  fire  wagon,"  drawing  its  bur 
den  of  weary  humanity,  puffed  laboriously  along  the 
hot  iron  pathway  toward  the  setting  sun  at  a  speed 
so  slow  that  many  a  "  cow  puncher  "  tested  the  mettle 
of  his  hardy,  sure-footed  pony  to  the  discomfiture 
of  the  iron  horse  and  its  attendant. 

Antelope  raced  with  the  train  and  buffalo  stood 
defiantly  in  the  wallows,  their  lop-ended  bodies  appear 
ing  strangely  out  of  proportion  for  sustaining  the 
equilibrium  necessary  for  feeding,  fighting  or  flying. 
Prairie  dogs  barked  their  squeaky  warnings,  and  wise 
looking  little  top-heavy  owls  flapped  their  wings  lazily 
in  an  attempt  to  rise,  only  to  fall  awkwardly  into  the 
next  dog  village  near  by,  as  the  train  rumbled  through 
the  sand-duned  desert.  But  all  things  have  an  end. 
So  did  the  first  journey  to  Denver.  Within  a  week 
Jack  met  a  mountain  guide  who  told  of  the  deer,  the 


36  CHIQUITA 

bear,  the  trout  in  Middle  Park.  Within  another  week 
he  had  purchased  an  Indian  pony,  saddle,  and  provi 
sions  to  last  two  for  seven  months,  agreeing  to  follow 
the  guide  and  trapper  in  his  winter's  occupation  of  se 
curing  pelts  for  market. 

It  took  a  month  to  reach  the  final  spot  selected  for 
a  cabin  on  Rock  Creek,  during  which  time  Jack  met 
many  of  the  brave  and  weather-beaten,  buckskin  clad 
frontiersmen  living  on  the  firing  line  of  civilization  at 
the  very  threshold  of  savagedom.  Men  who  drove 
the  rude  stakes  marking  pioneer  advancement  into  the 
soil  wrested  from  its  occupants  by  purchase  from  a 
broken  down  dynasty,  claiming  discovery,  a  nation 
whose  bigoted  avariciousness  blinded  its  foresight  to 
the  end  of  bartering  away  its  last  foothold  on  the  great 
American  continent. 

The  incidents  from  Denver  to  Rock  Creek  Jack 
enumerated  in  an  improvised  journal,  greasy  from 
continued  usage  in  his  endeavor  to  let  nothing  escape 
the  record. 

"  First  night :  Slept  on  the  floor  of  a  grocery  store, 
twenty  miles  from  Denver,  a  buffalo  robe  between 
me  and  the  boards. 

"  Second  night :  Slept  in  the  hay  in  a  barn  at 
Georgetown. 

"Third  day:  A.  M.  Homesick.  The  trapper  not 
ready  to  go  into  Middle  Park;  must  wait  four  days. 


THE  FIRING  LINE  OF  CIVILIZATION    37 

All  my  money  left  in  Denver.  Supposed  we  would 
have  no  use  for  money,  as  all  our  worldly  provisions 
and  needs  would  be  on  the  wagon  or  pack  animals, 
but  the  provisions  are  coming  by  rail  and  we  eat  at  a 
restaurant  in  the  mining  town  where  the  railway  ter 
minates.  As  my  money  is  gone  and  no  provisions 
here,  I  am  at  a  loss  to  satisfy  hunger. 

"Third  day:  P.  M.  Heard  some  dogs  barking 
away  up  on  the  side  of  the  mountain;  asked  the 
butcher  if  he  would  buy  a  wild  goat  if  I  killed  one. 
It  was  goats  that  made  the  dogs  bark,  goats  that  once 
were  civilized  but  had  strayed  away  and  became  wild. 
Shouldered  my  rifle  and  climbed  that  awful  stretch 
of  snow-covered  slide  rock  at  the  imminent  peril  of 
starting  an  avalanche  and  destroying  the  whole  town. 
Killed  a  goat,  a  black  one.  Shot  him  in  the  shoulder 
just  where  "  Swiftfoot,  the  scout/'  would  have  planted 
a  bullet,  but  the  goat  would  not  or  did  not  die,  so  I 
shot  him  again  through  the  neck.  Then  I  plunged 
my  steel  into  him  and  saw  the  life-blood  gush  all 
over  me  and  the  snow,  then  I  dragged  the  goat  by 
his  horns  down  the  mountain  side.  There  were  places 
so  steep  that  the  goat  went  faster  than  I  did,  so  it  was 
a  case  of  goat  dragging  me.  Finally  landed  at  the 
same  time  the  goat  did,  at  the  bottom  of  the  long 
gulch ;  tied  the  goat's  legs  together  and  hung  him 
across  my  back  on  my  rifle  barrel.  Walked  uncon- 


38  CHIQUITA 

cernedly  past  the  butcher  shop  to  the  restaurant,  where 
I  deposited  the  goat  on  a  box  in  the  back  yard.  The 
perilous  adventure  netted  me  my  meals  for  four  days, 
three  dollars  in  United  States  money  and  one  Mex 
ican  dollar.  I  was  not  homesick  again." 

Another  interesting  item  in  his  graphic  description 
of  the  country  so  new  to  him : 

"  We  left  Georgetown  in  early  morning  to  cross  the 
range.  From  timber  line  on  the  eastern  slope  of  the 
great  Atlantico-Pacifico  water  shed,  winding  around 
Gray's  Peak,  serpentinely  descending  to  the  Frazier 
River  through  Middle  Park  to  our  cabin  site  on  Rock 
Creek  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  is  one  unbroken 
cheerless  blanket  of  snow,  covering  irregular  sage 
brush  grown  mesas  sloping  to  the  river  banks,  along 
whose  sides  grow  stretches  of  heavy,  coarse  grass  suit 
able  for  wintering  hardy,  range-grown  stock.  Cultiva 
tion  of  any  of  the  land  is  still  an  unsolved  problem. 
The  residents  of  this  great  unregistered  section  live 
in  log  cabins.  Neighbors  are  '  near '  who  occupy 
claims  within  ten  miles  of  each  other.  The  one  county, 
Grand,  represents  more  territory  than  Massachusetts, 
Connecticut  and  Rhode  Island  put  together.  No  sec 
tion  lines  mark  the  maps,  no  organized  arrangement 
of  district  or  circuit  courts  interferes  with  the  '  admin 
istration  '  of  '  justice '  when  disputes  have  to  be 
adjudicated.  Generally  the  one  quickest  with  a  gun 


THE  FIRING  LINE  OF  CIVILIZATION    39 

has  the  law  on  his  side.  The  people  are  willing  to  share 
beds  and  grub  with  each  other  and  strangers;  a  feel 
ing  akin  to  insult  being  awakened  if  payment  be  ten 
dered  for  hospitality  even  of  several  days'  duration, 
excepting,  of  course,  regularly  established  quarters 
where  stage  coaches  change  horses  and  provision  is 
made  for  the  accommodation  of  summer  tourists. 
Every  man  is  a  blacksmith,  carpenter,  tinker,  tailor, 
cook,  chamberman,  physician,  nurse,  even  undertaker 
and  grave  digger  when  occasion  demands.  The  food 
is  the  most  primitive  known  in  a  civilized  land — bread, 
venison  or  elk  meat,  occasionally  antelope,  bear,  moun 
tain  sheep,  always  bacon  and  black  coffee,  and  dried 
prunes,  peaches  or  apples  furnish  fruit  if  the  ranch 
man's  ambition  fires  him  sufficiently  to  stew  sauce. 
Occasionally  a  ranchman  has  milch  cows,  which  add 
butter  and  cream  to  the  simple  fare.  Vegetables  are 
a  scarce  commodity,  except  for  a  case  or  two  of  canned 
corn,  tomatoes,  succotash  and  baked  beans,  the  latter 
being  a  dish  utterly  impossible  of  being  prepared  in 
high  altitudes  without  the  aid  of  baking  soda  to  soften 
the  bean;  even  then  unless  great  care  is  taken  the 
alkali  spoils  the  flavor  of  this  toothsome  Boston  cre 
ation.  Buckskin  and  heavy  woolen  underclothes  form 
the  general  run  of  garments,  an  outer  protecting  duck 
coat  and  overalls  being  worn  to  a  large  extent.  White 
goods  as  wearing  apparel,  table  or  bed  furnishings  are 


40  CHIQUITA 

seldom  found,  much  less  used.  Time  is  reckoned  by 
'  sun  ups/  *  snows  '  and  the  mail  carrier.  In  event 
of  the  latter  being  a  day  late  or  ahead,  the  fact  is  re 
corded,  or  every  one  would  eventually  lose  complete 
track  of  dates,  Sunday  likely  as  not  being  observed  in 
name  in  the  middle  of  the  week." 

Jack  kept  his  record  straight  for  a  month  and  then 
lost  the  combination  entirely  for  eighteen  days.  There 
were  no  churches,  no  schools,  and  but  one  voting  pre 
cinct  in  the  whole  of  Grand  County.  Ward  primaries 
had  not  been  established  and  politics  centered  in  a  jus 
tice  of  the  peace,  sheriff,  and  county  judge,  none  of 
whom  accummulated  wealth  from  office  emoluments. 

On  Thanksgiving  Day  Jack's  last  officially  correct 
entry  in  his  log  book  noted  the  thermometer  as 
"  frozen  up,"  subsequent  days  for  a  long  period  re 
cording  "  a  little  colder,"  "  much  colder,"  "  terribly 
cold." 

The  fifth  day  from  Hot  Sulphur  Springs  found  the 
trapper  and  his  pupil  on  the  west  slope  of  the  Gore 
or  Park  range,  encountering  a  terrific  snowstorm,  in 
the  midst  of  which  they  stumbled  into  a  band  of  elk 
which  made  Jack  forget  all  his  troubles  of  keeping  the 
trail,  the  difficulty  of  keeping  the  big  wagon  box  on 
runners  from  upsetting  and  himself  from  freezing. 
As  the  big  animals  loomed  up  in  the  clouds  of  snow 
flakes  driven  pitilessly  into  his  face  he  suddenly  re- 


THE  FIRING  LINE  OF  CIVILIZATION    41 

called  the  oft-told  stories  of  "  buck  fever,"  and  for 
fear  this  dread  disease  would  shatter  his  nerves  he 
waited  the  arrival  of  the  experienced  trapper.  The 
band  was  moving  slowly  down  the  ravine,  not  seeming 
to  notice  their  enemy — man. 

"  Shoot  7em,  why  don't  you  shoot  ?  Careful  now, 
and  get  that  big  bull  with  his  flank  turned  toward  you. 
There,  give  him  another,  quick !  Again !  before  he 
gets  out  of  sight — you've  got  him!"  And  Jack  saw 
his  first  wapiti  plunge  to  his  knees,  recover,  bound  side 
ways  and  then  again  lunge  with  his  nose  plowing  deep 
into  the  snow,  his  hind  legs  straining  at  the  earth  for 
a  support,  only  to  sink  in  a  last  effort,  and  the  "  mon 
arch  of  the  forest  "  was  Jack's  prize.  It  was  but  a  few 
moments'  work  to  knot  a  lariat  to  a  hind  leg  and  by 
the  aid  of  his  Indian  pony  drag  the  carcass  to  a  tree, 
hang  the  body  out  of  reach  of  wolves  and  coyotes, 
then  seek  a  suitable  location  for  a  camp,  which  in  that 
storm  was  no  easy  matter.  For  hours  it  had  been  un 
load,  dig  the  sled  out  of  a  deep  bank  of  snow,  load  up 
again  and  flounder  a  few  rods,  only  to  repeat  the  proc 
ess.  The  diversion  of  killing  an  elk  gave  a  rest  of  half 
an  hour,  then  another  attempt  was  made  to  cross  a 
small  park  before  night  should  envelop  them  in  her 
black  mantle.  About  half  way,  however,  the  horses 
floundered  into  a  drift  which  accummulated  over  the 
spongy  surface  of  a  willow-banked  ravine,  the  sled 


42  CHIQUITA 

pitched  its  nose  down  deep,  the  trapper  swore,  and 
Jack  wanted  to. 

"  Guess  we  better  '  cache  '  our  stuff  and  get  over  thar 
in  the  timber  and  let  the  '  dod  gasted  '  blizzard  play 
itself  out,"  said  the  man  of  many  winters'  experience. 
"  You  have  done  mighty  well  for  a  tenderfoot.  An 
old-timer  couldn't  have  done  better  in  tramping  snow 
and  breaking  trail  than  you  have.  This  is  about  as 
bad  a  storm  as  you  will  ever  get  into.  When  it  snows 
so  you  can't  see  the  horses'  heads  in  front  of  you  it 
gets  about  the  limit." 

"  Can  we  find  the  provisions  if  we  leave  them 
here?"  questioned  Jack. 

"  Yes,  you  get  that  long  dead  sapling  over  there 
and  we  will  stick  it  up  beside  the  pile,  throw  that 
wagon  sheet  over  the  top,  and  then  we'll  drive  some 
tent  pins  to  fasten  the  corners  to.  There  now — Hi ! 
there,  you !"  The  horses  gave  a  pull  and  the  almost 
empty  sled  followed.  In  a  few  minutes  the  edge  of 
the  timber  was  reached  and  Jack  commenced  to  scrape 
away  the  snow  preparatory  for  a  camp  fire.  The  old 
trapper  decided  it  best  to  put  coverings  on  the  horses 
and  turn  them  loose.  It  was  too  stormy  to  picket 
them,  too  cruel  to  tie  them  up  short,  and  unless  blank 
ets  were  fastened  on  them  they  would  make  a  bee  line 
back  to  Hot  Sulphur. 

When  Jack  had  broken  dry  twigs  from  the  ends  of 


THE  FIRING  LINE  OF  CIVILIZATION    43 

overhanging  branches  and  found  a  "  blazed  "  spot  on 
a  pine  tree  which  promised  a  good  pitch-soaked  kin- 
dler,  and  gathered  a  lot  of  dead  timber,  he  made 
ready  to  light  his  fire.  The  wind  drove  the  snow  in 
avalanches.  No  one  could  ever  light  a  match  in 
that  gale,  and  when  he  reached  the  time  for  lighting, 
he  found  but  one  match.  He  had  lost  his  tin  match 
box  and  the  stock  box  was  in  the  "  cache,"  which 
was  by  that  time  under  two  feet  of  snow.  Carefully 
making  a  little  "  lean  to  "  out  of  a  rubber  blanket,  he 
first  "  warmed  "  the  match  against  his  flannel  shirt 
up  in  the  armpit,  to  absorb  any  dampness  in  the  sul 
phur,  then  with  trepidation  and  fear  he  carefully 
drew  the  yellow  end  across  the  inside  of  his  duck 
coat,  a  crack,  a  choking  cloud  of  sulphur,  a  sputter 
of  burning  brimstone  blue  and  feeble,  then  a  stronger 
yellow  flame  and  the  camp  fire  was  assured.  Throw 
ing  off  the  "  lean  to "  the  wind  drove  the  flames 
against  the  big  pile  of  firewood  and  soon  the  cheerful 
warmth  melted  a  space  in  the  snow  big  enough  to 
call  a  camp.  It  was  no  easy  matter  to  cook  supper, 
and  there  was  little  comfort  standing  around  after 
wards,  so  both  made  ready  for  bed.  The  "  lean  to  " 
was  again  the  resort  for  a  shelter  for  the  night,  as  a 
tent  could  not  be  made  secure  in  that  storm  in  frozen 
ground. 

Carefully  fastening  one  end  of  the  canvas  to  the 


44  CHIQUITA 

wagon,  and  pegging  the  other  to  the  ground  near  the 
fire,  a  bed  was  improvised  with  the  rubber  blanket 
next  to  the  snow,  then  the  blankets,  eleven  in  all,  the 
"  lean  to  "  tucked  in  all  around — and  Jack  went  to 
sleep  with  the  wind  driving  its  icy  breath  through  the 
thick  pine  forest  or  shrieking  as  it  caught  the  naked, 
ghostlike  branches  of  a  leafless  aspen.  The  morning 
found  them  almost  buried  under  the  snow,  but  none 
the  worse  otherwise. 

It  was  noon  before  the  horses  were  found  and 
brought  back  by  the  trapper,  and  that  evening  the 
camp  was  pitched  only  a  mile  from  the  other  side  of 
the  "  cache."  The  storm  went  down  with  the  sun  and 
the  cold  intensified  until  the  biting  blasts  hurled 
across  the  open  gate  to  Egeria  Park  were  to  the  unpro 
tected  face  like  knife  slashes. 

For  two  days  melted  snow  had  served  for  cooking, 
drink  for  horses,  and  washing  purposes.  A  good 
square  meal  had  been  impossible  to  prepare,  and  a 
hungry  night  was  in  prospect  for  both  man  and  beast. 
The  trapper  declared  he  would  not  turn  the  horses 
loose  that  night,  so  picking  out  a  sheltered  place 
among  the  pine  trees  he  tied  up  all  but  "  Ned," 
Jack's  Indian  pony,  halter  lengths,  covered  them 
with  blankets  and  harnessed  to  keep  the  blank 
ets  on.  The  tent  was  pitched  in  a  long  deep 
cut,  dug  into  an  immense  snow  bank,  to  all  appear- 


THE  FIRING  LINE  OF  CIVILIZATION    45 

ances  a  part  of  the  big  drift  after  it  had  been  ar 
ranged  for  the  night.  The  intensity  of  the  cold  was 
estimated  at  fifty  degrees  below  zero  and  six  pair  of 
double  blankets  weighing  eight  pounds  per  pair  were 
used  as  covering  (Jack  was  actually  tired  when  he 
awoke,  from  the  weight  of  the  bedding).  Single 
thicknesses  of  blankets  had  to  be  drawn  over  the  face 
to  keep  it  from  freezing.  But  with  all  these  hard 
ships  the  young  man  from  the  "  States  "  thrived  and 
grew  hardy.  No  such  thing  as  a  cold  or  bodily  ail 
ment  of  any  sort  attacked  either  one. 

The  next  night  found  them  camped  in  a  protected 
ravine  near  a  stream  from  which  water  was  obtained 
and  some  pretensions  to  comfort  prevailed.  For  the 
first  time  elk  meat  formed  a  part  of  the  evening  meal, 
and  a  feeling  of  good  cheer  followed  a  hearty  repast. 
The  next  morning  as  Jack  climbed  the  side  of  the 
long  south  slope,  covered  with  stunted  sage  brush,  to 
get  the  horses  that  had  found  plenty  of  feed,  he  came 
face  to  face  with  a  tawny-skinned  animal  that  came 
up  out  of  one  ravine  as  Jack  emerged  from  another, 
about  a  hundred  yards  apart.  No  firearms,  not  even 
a  hunting  knife,  were  at  hand.  To  flee  would  be  but 
an  invitation  to  tempt  the  mountain  lion  to  possible 
attack,  so  Jack  sauntered  along,  carelessly  as  he  could 
under  the  circumstances,  in  the  direction  of  the  ponies. 
The  lion  kept  on  his  own  course,  crossing  Jack's  path 


46  CHIQUITA 

and  eventually  disappearing  in  a  deep  arroya,  or  gulch, 
all  the  while  turning  his  head  from  side  to  side  watch 
ing  but  not  attempting  to  molest  either  Jack  or  the 
horses. 

The  next  camping  spot  selected  was  on  the  bank  of 
Rock  Creek,  where  a  bend  of  the  stream  deflected  by 
high  rocks  left  a  well  timbered,  protected  area,  sur 
rounded  on  three  sides  by  precipitous  slopes  of  the 
adjacent  "  benches  "  covered  with  sage  brush,  these 
"  benches  "  or  mesas  extending  to  the  high  ridges 
towering  above,  one  facing  the  north,  the  other  the 
south,  the  former  bleak  and  covered  with  deep  snow, 
the  latter,  warm  and  sun-kissed,  furnishing  feed  for 
horses.  The  building  of  a  cabin  occupied  a  few  days, 
which,  when  equipped  with  a  fireplace,  a  bunk  having 
about  eighteen  inches  of  spruce  boughs  as  a  mat 
tress,  and  other  frontier  conveniences,  made  a  trap 
per's  home. 

Deer  were  abundant.  In  an  evening  or  in  the  early 
morning  hundreds  of  the  great  muleheaded  species 
could  be  seen  winding  their  way  to  and  from  the  feed 
ing  grounds,  or  wandering  aimlessly  about.  Traps 
were  set  out,  bait  doctored  with  "  dead  medicine " 
or  poison  tacked  to  trees  and  stumps  where  foxes, 
wolves  and  lions  were  likely  to  find  it,  and  the  regular 
life  of  "  catching  fur  "  was  commenced. 

A  band  of  Ute   Indians  that  had  left  the  White 


THE  FIRING  LINE  OF  CIVILIZATION    47 

River  Agency  established  their  village  two  miles  be 
low  the  cabin  at  a  point  where  Rock  Creek  joined  an 
other  stream — Toponas,  or  "  Pony  " — and  then  flowed 
on  to  its  confluence  with  the  Grand  River.  These  In 
dians  became  visitors  to  the  cabin  and  among  them 
Jack  found  one,  Yamanatz,  a  friendly  and  peaceable 
savage. 

The  village  was  destitute  of  food  and  ammunition, 
in  fact,  no  means  were  at  their  command  for  obtain 
ing  game,  therefore  they  heralded  the  trappers'  ar 
rival  with  gladness,  for  they  expected  to  be  able  to 
obtain  powder  and  bullets  with  which  to  obtain  ven 
ison. 

The  second  visit  Yamanatz  made  to  the  Rock  Creek 
camp,  he  was  accompanied  by  his  beautiful  daughter 
Chiquita,  a  girl  of  seventeen,  richly  attired  in  beaded 
skirt,  leggings  and  moccasins.  She  rode  astride  of 
a  magnificent  chestnut  brown,  full-blooded  Ute  pony, 
a  large  Navajo  blanket  drawn  tightly  about  her,  In 
dian  fashion.  She  carried  a  bow  and  from  her  back 
hung  a  quiver  of  arrows.  Her  well  molded  face  was 
set  in  its  frame  of  straight,  black  hair,  braided  in  two 
long  strands  into  which  were  interwoven  pieces  of  lion 
skin,  beaver  fur  and  other  bits  of  "  medicine  "  charms 
to  drive  away  evil  spirits.  A  string  of  elk  teeth 
adorned  her  neck  and  bands  of  heavy  silver  ornaments 
bedecked  her  arms. 


48  CHIQUITA 

Indians  are  similar  to  other  folks  in  many  respects. 
A  proper  introduction  generally  puts  them  on  a  gra 
cious  footing.  It  did  not  take  long  for  Jack  and  Chi- 
quita  to  strike  up  a  fast  friendship,  and  the  old  adage 
of  "  feed  the  brute  "  held  good  with  both  Indian  buck 
and  maiden. 

The  cabin  was  but  partly  "  chinked  "  when  the  old 
trapper  announced  his  intention  of  going  to  Hot  Sul 
phur  Springs. 

"  I  left  the  old  woman  without  enough  wood  and 
must  go  back  to  cut  some  for  her.  Then  there  are 
some  other  matters  to  attend  to  which  will  take  a  week 
or  ten  days,  after  which  I  will  come  back  and  bring 
what  mail  is  at  the  Springs  for  you,"  he  explained. 

Little  did  Jack  realize,  in  fact,  he  did  not  suspect, 
there  might  be  other  reasons  for  this  sudden  determi 
nation  on  the  part  of  the  trapper.  It  did  not  occur  to 
him  the  seeming  folly  of  a  man  leaving  his  wife  un 
provided  with  wood.  The  trip  of  a  hundred  miles  or 
more  in  the  dead  of  winter  over  unbroken  trails  was 
not  so  much  of  an  obstacle  for  a  man  experienced  in 
mountain  life;  but  he  did  not  then  know  that  the 
Utes'  camp  was  made  up  of  some  of  the  worst  char 
acters  from  the  White  River  Agency,  nor  that  the 
band  was  there  against  the  wishes  of  Indian  Agent 
Meeker,  who  had  requested  their  return  more  than 
once, 


THE  FIRING  LINE  OF  CIVILIZATION    49 

Jack  took  the  matter  as  one  of  the  peculiar  inci 
dents  in  a  trapper's  life,  for  he  had  learned  that  a 
trapper  has  no  conception  of  time,  no  thought  for  the 
days  ahead,  no  particular  object  in  view  beyond 
existence,  and  no  ambition  beyond  that  of  the  prospec 
tor  who  indulges  his  fancies  of  "  striking  it  rich  " 
some  day. 

Jack  knew  there  were  plenty  of  provisions  to  last 
until  summer,  that  the  trapper  would  leave  two  horses 
and  the  sled,  besides  quite  a  valuable  lot  of  traps,  et 
cetera,  which  would  insure  his  return  sooner  or  later, 
so  there  were  no  misgivings  when  the  mountaineer 
mounted  his  horse  and  rode  away. 

He  busied  himself  day  after  day  and  accummu- 
lated  furs  and  knowledge  of  frontier  life. 

These  were  the  surroundings  in  which  Jack  found 
himself  three  months  after  leaving  Boston. 


CHAPTER  III. 

CATS,  TRAPS,  AND  INDIANS. 

The  steady  life  of  a  trapper  had  become  regular 
diet  to  Jack,  as  day  after  day  he  visited  old  traps,  set 
out  new  ones  and  explored  territory  farther  away 
from  the  cabin.  The  Indians  were  daily  visitors 
whether  he  was  in  camp  or  not,  but  they  never  mo 
lested  anything,  no  matter  how  curious  or  hungry. 
They  were  seemingly  good  humored,  even  though  there 
appeared  an  undercurrent  of  dissatisfaction.  The  first 
episode  to  put  him  on  his  guard  was  when  one  of  the 
Utes,  Bennett,  hid  behind  a  tree  near  the  camp  fire 
outside  the  cabin.  Yamanatz  was  there  in  his  custo 
mary  place,  squatted  upon  the  ground.  A  strange  dog 
ran  in  and  out  of  the  place  and  Jack  inquired  of  the 
old  Ute  how  the  dog  happened  to  be  there.  Yamanatz, 
unconcerned,  replied,  "  Me  dunno."  This  puzzled 
Jack,  but  he  went  about  his  cooking,  carefully  watch 
ing  the  trees  and  rocks.  He  felt  for  the  first  time  a 
species  of  alarm.  Again  he  inquired,  "  Ute  dog, 
mebbe  so?" 

"  Me  dunno." 


CATS,  TRAPS  AND  INDIANS  51 

Jack  knew  no  white  man  would  go  along  that  trail 
at  that  time  of  year  without  stopping  to  say  "  How  I" 
In  fact,  there  was  no  white  man  within  forty  miles, 
except  old  Joe  Riggs,  and  old  Joe  would  be  there  with 
the  dog  if  the  dog  was  Joe's.  The  suspense  had  a 
sudden  termination  as  the  muzzle  of  a  rifle  "  mirrored  " 
in  the  sunlight,  just  the  tip  of  the  muzzle  being  thus 
accidentally  disclosed.  Quick  as  a  flash  Jack  pulled 
his  six  shooter,  cocked  it  and  held  it  level  at  the 
tree  where  the  bright  steel  was  in  full  view. 
Yamanatz  made  neither  sign  nor  comment,  but  Jack 
felt  that  the  cunning  old  chief  was  fully  aware  of  all 
that  was  going  on.  Very  soon  the  edge  of  a  woolen 
turban  cap  appeared  opposite  the  rifle  muzzle,  then 
an  ear,  then  a  little  of  the  chin  and  finally  the  eye  of 
Bennett  looked  straight  into  Jack's  six  shooter.  With 
a  bound  the  joker  jumped  from  behind  the  tree  and, 
with  a  laugh  which  could  have  been  heard  a  mile,  and 
in  which  Yamanatz  joined,  came  forward,  palms  out 
ward,  signifying  peace,  exclaiming,  "  White  man  no 
'fraid;  heap  big  joke,  heap  big  joke." 

But  Jack  began  to  feel  that  these  jokes  might  end  in 
something  serious,  especially  if  he  showed  the  white 
feather  in  the  least. 

The  next  day  he  returned  from  the  traps  just  as  the 
last  streaks  of  sunlight  were  tipping  the  tops  of  the 
canon  where  Rock  Creek  dashed  by  the  cabin.  Yama- 


52  CHIQUITA 

natz  sat  by  the  cold  camp  fire  in  the  same  place  and 
same  position  in  which  Jack  had  left  him  after  break 
fast,  six  hours  before.  Of  course,  Jack  was  surprised 
at  this  and  wondered  what  it  meant.  As  Jack  swung 
into  the  open  space  Yamanatz  immediately  arose  with 
hands  outstretched,  the  palms  well  up  towards  the 
comer,  accompanying  the  action  with  this  eager  out 
burst  : 

"Yamanatz  heap  glad  to  see  white  man  Jack;  Col- 
orow  come.  White  man  gone.  Colorow  heap  mad, 
want  to  see  white  man.  Me  tell  'em  white  man  gone, 
Colorow  follow  white  man ;  byme  by  Antelope  come 
look  for  Colorow ;  Antelope  go  back  Indian  village 
by  Pony  Creek.  Antelope  tell  Utes  Colorow  mean 
mischief ;  Colorow's  boy  come  byme  by  look  for  Col 
orow  ;  when  Yamanatz  tell  Colorow's  boy  '  Colorow 
follow  white  man,'  Colorow's  boy  heap  'fraid,  say : 
'  Mebbe  so  Colorow  meet  'em  white  man  Jack.'  Then 
Colorow's  boy  go  Indian  village.  Sun  low — Chiquita 
come,  no  find  white  man,  go  back  Indian  village, 
mebbe  so  white  man  see  Colorow?" 

Jack,  of  course,  was  nervous.  Alone  in  a  wild  coun 
try  that  was  alive  with  wild  game,  ravenous  wolves, 
mountain  lions,  bears  and  hostile  Indians,  he  realized 
what  a  novice,  a  tenderfoot,  a  fool  he  was,  or  would 
be,  to  put  his  ignorance  of  frontier  life  against  the 
cunning  of  the  old  chiefs,  but  he  answered  quickly, 


YAMANATZ. 


CATS,  TRAPS  AND  INDIANS  53 

"  Me  no  see  Colorow."  Then  taking  courage  by  the 
kindly  look  in  Yamanatz's  eyes,  Jack  said  slowly, 
taking  Yamanatz's  hands  in  his  own. 

"Mebbe  so  Colorow  want  to  kill  white  man  Jack?" 

Yamanatz  shrugged  his  shoulders  but  made  no  an 
swer  and  Jack  continued. 

"  If  Colorow  meet  white  man,  Colorow  got  no  bul 
lets — got  knife — suppose  white  man  kill  Colorow,  will 
Utes  kill  white  man?" 

Yamanatz  evaded  the  question  but  made  the  reply : 
"  Colorow  heap  bad  Indian,  mebbe  so  make  heap  trou 
ble.  Utes  'fraid  Colorow — big  chief  'fraid  Colorow. 
White  man  mebbe  so  kill  Colorow,  no  tell  what  'em 
happen.  Old  Utes  not  much  care.  Antelope,  Ben 
nett,  Douglas,  Washington.  Mebbe  so  heap  mad,  kill 
all  white  men  if  white  man  Jack  kill  Colorow." 

In  this  honest  avowal  Jack  found  little  comfort,  but 
Yamanatz's  next  words  gave  him  a  hope  that  all  might 
be  well. 

"  Utes  got  no  lead,  no  powder,  no  deer  meat.  Meb 
be  so  Colorow  take  many  ponies,  go  Sulphur  Springs, 
get  'em  bullets,  bacon,  flour,  then  be  good  Injun  till 
all  gone." 

In  this  logic  of  plenty  to  eat  lay  the  safety  of  the 
white  trappers  for  that  winter,  so  Jack  prayed  fer 
vently  for  the  early  departure  of  the  Indians  for  Sul 
phur  Springs  to  the  end  of  his  own  personal  safety. 


54  CHIQUITA 

He  knew  now  that  certain  sign  language  the  Utes 
had  so  often  indulged  in  represented  Agent  Meeker  in 
his  attempts  to  teach  the  Indians  how  to  plow;  that 
bits  of  tragic,  practical  joking  were  tests  of  his  own 
bravery,  and  that  the  uneasy  red  devils  but  waited 
opportunity  and  excuse  for  an  uprising,  after  they 
should  obtain  the  necessary  munitions  of  war,  of 
which  they  had  none. 

Chiquita  grew  more  and  more  interested  in  the  ways 
of  the  pale  face  with  each  visit,  and  Jack  found  her 
waiting  for  his  return  oftener,  even  following  him 
portions  of  the  route  in  his  attentions  to  the  traps. 
Her  desire  for  knowledge  seemed  to  him  incompre 
hensible  and  old  Yamanatz  was  equally  at  a  loss  to 
understand  why  his  daughter  should  prefer  to  hear 
about  her  white  sisters'  habits  and  what  they  did, 
rather  than  matters  of  more  moment.  When  she 
finally  told  Yamanatz  her  desire  to  do  wonderful 
things,  such  as  building  a  big  "  medicine  tepee  "  with 
lots  of  Indian  maidens  in  "  medicine  clothes"  to  care 
for  the  sick,  the  aged  and  infirm,  the  old  chief's  face 
gladdened  and  his  actions  spoke  louder  than  words, 
so  that  Jack  knew  it  was  safe  to  humor  them  both  in 
their  dream. 

Within  a  few  days  Yamanatz  sprung  a  joke  on  Jack 
that  left  Bennett's  fun  hanging  high  and  dry  on  the 
trees.  Chiquita  had  arrayed  herself  in.  more  gorgeous 


CATS,  TRAPS  AND  INDIANS  55 

raiment  than  had  been  recorded  of  a  society  debutante 
in  Indian  stories — beaded  cape,  waist,  shirt,  leggings, 
and  moccasins;  medals  of  gold,  silver  and  pewter; 
ornaments  of  brass,  tin  and  iron  ;  necklaces  of  elk  teeth 
and  grizzly  claws ;  hair  decorations  of  lion  skin,  beaver 
and  otter  fur,  and  in  her  hand  a  rawhide  shield  just 
dazzling  with  highly  polished  brass  knobs.  Her  bright 
eyes  fairly  danced  with  joy  as  she  posed  before  Jack 
in  her  "Sunday  best."  Yamanatz  watched  her  with 
that  same  benevolent  kindness  which  characterized 
him  above  other  Utes.  After  the  usual  salutations, 
the  old  chief  took  a  leather  bag  from  the  saddle  and 
opened  it,  turning  its  contents  upon  Jack's  best  dish 
towel,  which  happened  to  be  near.  To  say  that  Jack's 
heart  jumped  is  drawing  it  very  mild.  The  contents 
of  the  bag  were  gold  nuggets  from  the  size  of  a  mus 
tard  seed  to  a  navy  bean  and  there  was  at  least  a  quart. 

Yamanatz  saw  the  sparkle  in  Jack's  eyes  and  lacon 
ically  remarked,  "  Sabe  ?" 

"Heap  big  gold  mine  somewhere?"  asked  Jack, 

To  which  question  Yamanatz  made  two  replies — 
"  Me  dunno ;  mebbe  so." 

Jack  waited  for  him  to  continue,  wondering  what 
reason  the  two  Utes  had  for  appearing  as  they  did, 
one  in  royal  raiment,  the  other  with  a  good  sized  ran 
som,  for  Jack  estimated  that  there  was  twenty  pounds 
of  pure  gold  worth  twenty  dollars  an  ounce,  or  in  all 
nearly  five  thousand  dollajs. 


56  CHIQUITA 

"  Does  the  white  man  sabe  ?"  again  inquired  Yama- 
natz. 

"  Me  no  sabe,  no  sabe,"  Jack  shook  his  head. 

Chiquita  now  spoke  up.  "  Does  the  white  man  sabe, 
what  you  call  'em  when  white  sister  learn  A,  B,  C?" 

"School?" 

Chiquita  shook  her  head. 

"College?"  asked  Jack. 

This  time  she  nodded  her  head  and  pointed  to  the 
gold.  "How  much  cost  Chiquita  in  college?" 

It  dawned  on  him  that  Chiquita  wanted  to  go  to 
college  and  that  Yamanatz  would  furnish  the  neces 
sary  money  to  defray  the  expenses.  Visions  of  a  red 
savage  in  full  forest  costume  ascending  the  steps  of 
a  great  university  or  college  was  too  much  for  Jack 
and  he  had  to  laugh,  much  to  the  disgust  of  his  friends, 
but  he  quickly  restored  good  faith. 

Yamanatz  put  his  finger  to  his  tongue,  indicating 
that  he  did  not  lie.  "  Yamanatz's  tongue  not  split, 
no  lie.  Yamanatz  show  white  man  Jack  heap  big 
pile  gold,  some  for  Jack,  some  for  Chiquita.  White 
man  take  Chiquita,  do  as  Chiquita  say." 

Jack  was  puzzled ;  he  thought  they  were  bargain 
ing  in  a  matrimonial  deal,  and  he  saw  a  little  brown- 
eyed  girl  back  East  peering  through  the  camp  fire  at 
him. 

Chiquita,   however,   came  to  his   rescue.     "Yama- 


CATS,  TRAPS  AND  INDIANS  57 

natz  has  said  it.  White  man  take  Chiquita  college. 
Chiquita  learn,  heap  study,  make  Chiquita  like  white 
sister.  Yamanatz  show  Jack  heap  big  mine,  lots  gold, 
some  for  Jack ;  some  for  Chiquita." 

As  he  at  last  comprehended  this  great  undertaking 
— the  stupendous  task  of  educating  a  blanket  Indian 
girl  in  a  modern  college  of  refined  Caucasians — Jack 
was  dismayed,  even  more  so  than  the  matrimonial 
possibility  had  suggested,  for  he  could  get  out  of  that, 
but  here  was  a  poser.  Perhaps  the  colleges  would 
draw  the  line  on  Indians  as  some  institutions  did  on 
negroes.  As  he  made  no  answer  Chiquita  continued. 

"  How  many  moons  take  Chiquita  college  ?" 

Jack  answered  slowly,  "  Take  Chiquita  four  snows 
little  A,  B,  C's,  two  snows  big  A,  B,  C's,  four  snows 
college." 

Both  Yamanatz  and  Chiquita  understood,  and  Chi 
quita  replied,  "  Ten  snows  Chiquita  like  white  sister, 
know  heap?" 

Jack  nodded  "  Yes,"  but  in  his  heart  he  did  not  be 
lieve  she  would  in  a  hundred  years  be  any  more  than 
a  half-educated  savage,  under  the  .most  rigid  masters. 

Yamanatz  then  spoke  up.  "  How  much  gold  Jack 
want  make  Chiquita  like  white  sister?" 

Jack  made  a  rough  estimate  and  ventured  at  a  thou 
sand  dollars  a  year,  "  Twelve  thousand  dollars." 

Yamanatz  could  not  understand  so  much  money  in 


58  CHIQUITA 

American  coin,  so  he  talked  with  Chiquita,  then 
pointed  at  the  pile  of  gold  nuggets. 

Jack  held  up  three  ringers,  meaning  three  times  as 
much  to  make  sure.  Yamanatz  looked  scornfully  at 
the  three  ringers,  then  pointed  at  the  big  grain  bag  in 
which  Jack  had  his  sugar,  saying,  "  Yamanatz  show 
Jack  where  get  a  big  bag  full.  Some  for  Jack  and  some 
for  Chiquita,  if  Jack  promise  Yamanatz  take  Chi 
quita  " — but  Chiquita  had  to  supply  the  word  "  col- 
lege." 

Jack  pondered  a  long  time  while  the  would-be  col 
lege  girl  and  her  father  watched  his  ever  varying 
expression  as  he  thought,  "  How  can  it  be  done?  "  He 
finally  agreed  to  make  the  attempt  and  replied :  "  Jack 
will  take  Chiquita  to  the  A,  B,  C  school,  then  a  little 
bigger  school,  then  college.  He  will  see  Chiquita  be 
come  a  great  queen  if  Yamanatz  so  speaks." 

"  It  shall  be  so.  Yamanatz  will  show  Jack  a  big 
cave  of  gold  where  the  sun  goes  down.  Blazing-Eye- 
By-The-Big- Water,  heaps  of  gold,  and  Yamanatz  will 
give  it  half  to  Jack,  half  to  Chiquita  and  Chiquita  shall 
be  a  big  queen."  Then  they  both  smoked  the  pipe  of 
tobacco  pledging  each  in  their  mission. 

Afterwards  the  more  detailed  plan  was  arranged. 
Yamanatz  indicated  that  in  the  early  spring  they 
would  start  for  the  cave  of  gold,  which  he  explained 
was  in  a  great  sun-burned  valley  where  no  life  existed 


CATS,  TRAPS  AND  INDIANS  59 

except  snakes  and  scorpions ;  furthermore,  that  the 
trip  to  the  cave  was  one  of  deadly  peril  and  hardships. 

"  The  Great  Manitou  gave  to  the  Utes  this  cave  of 
gold.  Many  big  chief  go  to  the  land  of  the  setting 
sun  and  bring  back  plenty  gold.  Yamanatz  the  last 
chief  who  can  show  Jack,  and  when  Yamanatz  go  to 
the  Happy  Hunting  Ground  the  big  cave  is  all  for 
Jack  and  Chiquita." 

Solemnly  he  outlined  all  the  details  for  the  under 
taking.  As  they  finished,  Yamanatz  gathered  up  the 
gold  nuggets  and  handed  the  bag  to  Jack,  saying, 
"  This  is  for  white  man — Yamanatz  has  more." 

Jack  hid  the  gold  in  his  war  bag,  after  the  chief  and 
his  gorgeously  arrayed  daughter  had  gone,  then  he 
pondered  long  over  the  unexpected  mission  upon 
which  he  found  himself  launched  and  his  dreams  were 
full  of  colleges,  gold  mines  and  savages  being  edu 
cated. 

It  was  nearing  Christmas  time  and  the  snow  was 
deep  on  the  mountain  side.  The  warm  sun  penetrated 
the  canons  but  a  few  hours  each  day.  Chiquita  had 
become  a  daily  visitor  to  the  camp  fire,  near  which  she 
would  sit  and  listen  to  Jack  as  he  told  of  the  wonders 
of  the  civilized  world.  Chiquita  knew  many  English 
words  of  common  usage  and  Jack  knew  as  many  Mex 
ican,  or  rather  a  mixture  of  Spanish,  Mexican  and  In 
dian,  which,  with  the  sign  language,  did  service  in 


CO  CHIQUITA 

these  conversations.  "  Tell  Chiquita  how  many  sleeps 
Rock  Creek  to  Denver  City." 

"  Six  sleeps,"  was  the  reply  of  Jack,  meaning  it  was 
a  six  days'  ride  on  horseback. 

"  Sabe  usted  the  great  white  chief  at  Washington 
City?"  was  the  next  query,  meaning  the  President  of 
the  United  States. 

"  Me  sabe." 

"  Tell  Chiquita  how  many  sleeps  on  the  cars  Wash 
ington  City  from  Denver  City." 

"  Five  sleeps  on  the  cars  Denver  City  to  Washing 
ton  City." 

Jack  happened  to  have  in  his  kit  a  railroad  map  of 
the  United  States  and  with  this  spread  before  them  on 
a  blanket,  he  would  point  out  Rock  Creek  and  then 
explain  the  distances  from  one  place  to  another,  tell 
ing  of  the  great  buildings,  the  industries,  the  immense 
amount  of  fuel  used  in  the  big  shops  and  the  number 
of  men  employed  in  making  guns,  wagons,  saddles, 
harness,  boots,  blankets  and  the  like,  articles  that  ap 
peared  in  the  camp  and  which  were  in  everyday  use 
at  the  White  River  Agency.  This  was  a  very  arduous 
but  pleasing  task,  in  that  it  required  all  of  Jack's  in 
genuity  to  portray  the  information  intelligently,  and 
frequently  Chiquita  would  be  the  instructor  because 
of  her  better  ability,  as  a  child  of  the  forest,  to  convey 
thought  by  means  of  signs  and  comparative  objects. 


CATS,  TRAPS  AND  INDIANS  61 

He  taught  her  the  alphabet,  also  words  of  one  and 
two  syllables,  and  she  showed  how  wonderful  is  the 
Indian  mind  in  its  retention  of  the  slightest  impression 
when  the  will  power  to  receive  it  is  acquiescent. 

"  Tell  Chiquita,  does  the  white  man's  squaw  carry 
the  wood  for  the  fire  so  the  warrior  can  cook  his  veni 
son?" 

"  No/'  said  Jack,  laughing,  "  the  warrior  of  the 
white  man  is  the  soldier  at  the  fort." 

Chiquita  interrupted  quickly,  a  deep  scowl  causing 
her  inky  black  eyebrows  to  meet  over  her  flashing  eyes, 
and  with  her  head  thrown  back,  displaying  the  full, 
rounded  throat,  her  beautiful  arm  bared  save  for  the 
wide  beaded  bracelets  and  amulets,  she  pointed  to  the 
sky,  almost  hissing  through  her  marvelously  white 
teeth,  "  Chiquita  comprehends,  the  warrior  of  the 
white  man  is  the  hired  pale  face,  sent  by  the  Great 
White  Chief  at  Washington  City  to  slay  my  people; 
even  now  mebbe  so  the  hired  man  rides  to  take  Chi 
quita  back  to  the  White  River;  but  her  people  are 
brave.  Her  people  were  as  the  stars  above,  as  the 
drops  that  make  the  big  river,  but  they  are  gone  to 
the  Great  Spirit,  where  their  ponies  await  their  com 
ing  in  the  Happy  Hunting  Ground  that  the  pale  face 
knows  not  of,  and  to  where  the  spirit  of  Chiquita  will 
some  day  fly.  Let  the  white  man  Jack  beware.  It  is 
well  for  him  that  Yamanatz  is  his  friend,  and  Chiquita 


62  CHIQUITA 

will  see  that  no  harm  comes  to  the  friend  of  Yama- 
natz.  Mebbe  so  Colorow  is  no  friend  of  the  white 
man  Jack,  but  Colorow  has  no  bullets.  The  gun  of 
Colorow  is  empty,  but  the  knife  in  the  belt  of  Colorow 
is  pointed.  It  is  sharp  and  the  arm  of  Colorow  is  as 
the  young  tree,  and  his  step  is  as  the  step  of  the  fawn 
when  the  dew  is  on  the  grass.  Let  the  white  man 
Jack  beware.  Colorow  will  come  to  tell  the  white 
man  to  go  to  the  land  which  was  taken  from  Colorow's 
people;  that  this  is  the  Utes'  land  and  that  the  Utes 
will  no  more  let  the  white  man  hunt  the  deer  and  trap 
the  wolf,  which  run  by  the  tepee  of  the  red  man.  So 
let  the  white  man  Jack  be  cunning  and  let  not  Colo- 
row  find  the  white  man  asleep  under  the  big  tree." 

She  was  all  excitement.  The  cords  stood  out  upon 
her  graceful  throat,  while  her  rounded  cheeks  crim 
soned  as  the  frosted  leaf  in  the  autumn  time.  Jack 
was  spellbound  as  the  words  of  that  eloquent  warning 
fell  upon  his  ears,  but  at  the  last  subdued,  almost  be 
seeching  plea,  he  started  as  if  the  knife  was  already  at 
his  throat,  for  it  was  but  yesterday,  in  the  warm  sun 
shine  far  beyond  the  snowy  range,  at  noon  time,  he 
had  taken  a  short  nap  under  a  big  pine  tree,  where  a 
bed  of  pine  needles  made  an  inviting  spot,  little  dream 
ing  that  a  living  being,  much  less  an  Indian,  was 
within  five  miles  of  him.  Chiquita  guessed  his 
thoughts,  and  in  that  musical  tone  found  only  among 


CATS,  TRAPS  AND  INDIANS  63 

the  old  blanket  Indian  tribes,  told  Jack  how  she  fol 
lowed  him  and  Colorow  from  the  camp  on  Rock  Creek, 
fearing  all  the  while  that  that  cunning  war  chief  would 
slay  the  young  man.  from  the  east  and  upset  all  plans 
of  Chiquita  becoming  a  medicine  tepee  queen. 

Chiquita  knew  that  Colorow,  of  all  the  discontented 
Utes  on  Rock  Creek,  desired  especially  to  be  rid  of 
Jack's  presence.  That  the  old  warrior  had  a  grudge 
against  the  trapper  was  evident,  and  the  trapper's  de 
parture,  leaving  Jack  alone  to  attend  to  the  traps,  was 
to  her  mind  clear  proof  that  Colorow  had  been  instru 
mental  in  causing  the  departure. 

She  had  heard  the  leaders  of  the  renegade  band  de 
nounce  all  trappers  who  sought  the  region  contiguous 
to  the  White  River  reservation,  and  in  particular  the 
trapper  who  had  built  the  cabin  on  Rock  Creek.  She 
knew  that  this  trapper  had  the  winter  before  wantonly 
killed  seventy-six  elk,  which  he  had  stumbled  upon  in 
a  little  willow  grown  park  where  the  deep  snow  had 
stalled  them,  and  that  he  did  not  kill  any  more  because 
his  ammunition  had  given  out.  She  knew  that  the 
Utes,  as  well  as  the  white  settlers,  had  in  unmeasured 
terms  condemned  this  wanton  slaying  of  so  much 
game,  but  she  did  not  think  this  episode  was  the  cause 
of  Colorow's  animosity.  There  was  but  one  reason 
that  sufficed  in  her  opinion.  She  believed  Colorow 
had  told  the  trapper  to  abandon  the  camp  under  pen- 


64  CHIQUITA 

alty  of  death  if  he  remained,  and  she  reasoned  that 
the  trapper  went  alone  because  he  had  been  ashamed 
to  tell  Jack  the  truth.  Consequently  Jack  would  be 
the  next  to  go,  and  as  she  already  knew  that  Colorow 
had  openly  declared  his  intention  of  driving  the  young 
paleface  away,  she  determined  to  watch  that  cunning 
Ute  every  day  and  give  him  no  opportunity  for  any 
hostile  movement  against  Jack. 

The  gray  dawn  of  the  day  referred  to  in  her  im 
passioned  warning  found  Chiquita  swiftly  and  si 
lently  making  her  way  toward  the  Rock  Creek  cabin, 
where  she  took  up  a  position  commanding  a  view  of 
the  camp  and  the  trails  leading  to  it. 

The  first  rays  of  the  sun  were  just  tipping  the  snow 
on  the  high  mountain  peaks  when  Jack  came  from  the 
cabin  and  proceeded  to  get  his  breakfast  over  the 
camp  fire.  As  Chiquita  watched  him  she  was  tempted 
many  times  to  make  her  presence  known,  for  the  sa 
vory  viands  made  her  "  heap  hungry,"  but  at  last  Jack 
started  up  the  gulch  on  his  rounds  to  the  traps.  Chi 
quita  knew  that  Colorow  would  put  in  an  early  ap 
pearance,  expecting  to  find  Jack  at  the  cabin,  so  she 
waited  patiently.  It  was  not  long  before  she  heard 
the  plaintive  call  of  a  camp  bird  mewing  for  some 
thing  to  eat,  and  she  mimicked  it,  saying  to  herself, 
"  camp  bird  and  Colorow  all  same."  She  carefully 
screened  herself  in  the  willows  and  saw  Colorow  sud- 


CATS,  TRAPS  AND  INDIANS  65 

denly  dart  from  one  big  tree  to  another,  then  creep  to 
a  big  rock,  wait  a  moment  and  glide  along  until  he 
was  close  to  the  cabin.  He  waited  some  time,  evi 
dently  reading  by  the  signs  of  the  smoldering  fire  that 
the  object  of  his  visit  had  made  an  early  start.  Seeing 
this,  he  boldly  walked  out  and  picked  up  the  coffee 
pot.  As  it  was  empty  he  threw  it  spitefully  down  into 
the  ashes  and  looked  for  a  piece  of  bread.  Being  dis 
appointed  in  this  also  he  made  a  big  fuss  of  brandish 
ing  his  knife,  executing  a  few  steps  as  though  he  had 
discovered  an  enemy  and  in  pantomime  had  slain  and 
scalped  him.  During  this  time  he  kept  up  a  continual 
jargon  of  curses  and  imprecations. 

Finally  he  drew  back  the  blanket  which  constituted 
the  "  door  "  of  the  cabin  and  peered  in.  Satisfied  with 
his  observations,  he  carefully  scanned  the  trail  leading 
up  the  gulch,  and  seeing  the  fresh  made  tracks,  set 
out  rapidly  after  Jack. 

Chiquita  followed,  darting  along  from  one  side  of 
the  trail  to  the  other  or  diverging  obliquely  across  por 
tions  of  the  territory  which  she  knew  Jack  had  to  trav 
erse  in  order  to  examine  the  traps,  knowing  Colorow 
would  ultimately  appear. 

The  sun  had  reached  the  meridian  when  she  noted 
the  Indian  standing  under  a  big  tree  watching  in 
tently  something  not  far  distant  from  him.  Pretty 
soon  she  saw  a  thin  spiral  of  white  smoke  gradually 


66  CHIQUITA 

becoming  more  dense  as  if  from  burning  damp  wood, 
and  occasionally  she  could  hear  the  crackle  of  the 
flames.  She  knew  Jack  was  busy  getting  a  little 
lunch.  She  scented  the  bacon  as  he  toasted  it  before 
the  fire  and  again  she  felt  that  ravenous  gnawing 
which  now  was  doubly  aggravating. 

The  cooking  evidently  made  Colorow  furious,  for 
he  vanished  into  some  brush  and  made  noises  as  of 
a  wolf  growling  with  hunger  just  as  he  prepares  to 
tear  at  a  bone.  Then  the  Indian  disappeared  down 
the  ever  handy  gulch  to  watch  Jack  in  his  effort  to 
find  the  wolf. 

Jack  proceeded  to  investigate,  and,  with  gun  ready, 
he  entered  the  brush,  but  there  were  so  many  signs  of 
wolf  tracks,  fresh  ones,  too,  that  he  was  at  a  loss  to 
understand  where  they  could  so  suddenly  have  disap 
peared. 

As  he  slowly  returned  to  his  lunch  camp — a  spot 
free  from  snow  in  a  little  pine  grove  where  the  sun 
shone  bright  and  warm — he  passed  very  near  where 
Chiquita  was  hiding,  and  then  discovered  a  mocca 
sin  track,  which  he  examined  critically.  He  knew  the 
track  had  been  made  since  sunrise,  but  could  not  tell 
whether  before  or  after  he  started  to  make  his  little 
camp  fire.  He  carefully  set  his  big  boot  alongside  the 
footprint,  making  a  deep  impression  in  the  earth.  He 
also  deposited  the  end  of  one  of  his  rifle  bullets  in 


CATS,  TRAPS  AND  INDIANS  67 

the  moccasin  track,  feeling  sure  that  the  owner  of  the 
moccasin  was  sure  to  discover  the  significance  thereof. 
Colorow  saw  the  action  from  his  hiding  place,  but  well 
knew  that  a  hunting  knife  was  of  little  avail  against 
a  fearless  man  protected  by  a  rifle,  six-shooter  and  belt 
full  of  ammunition. 

Jack  looked  at  the  sun,  then  at  Rock  Creek  a  long 
way  off,  and  sat  down  to  smoke  a  pipeful  of  tobacco. 
The  pleasing,  soothing  narcotic  made  him  drowsy  and 
he  fell  asleep. 

Colorow  made  a  circle  around  the  camp  and  in  do 
ing  so  discovered  the  trail  which  Jack  had  made  on 
previous  trips  from  the  little  grove.  This  led  toward 
a  big  gulch  which  was  divided  at  the  lower  portion  by 
a  steep  ridge.  Colorow  took  the  one  showing  the  most 
usage  and  ambushed  himself  in  a  thicket  close  to  Pony 
Creek,  at  a  point  convenient  to  a  spot  where  Jack 
would  be  obliged  to  pass  within  leap  of  the  hidden  foe. 
Here  he  waited. 

Chiquita  watched  Colorow  disappear  down  the 
gulch  and  divined  his  purpose,  then  returned  to  see 
Jack  as  he  awakened  and  witness  his  surprise  at  hav 
ing  so  forgotten  his  prudence. 

Picking  up  his  rifle  and  skins  Jack  started  swiftly 
down  the  gulch,  intending  to  follow  the  one  selected 
by  Colorow,  as  he  had  some  venison  protected  by  two 
big  traps  and  was  certain  to  get  at  least  a  bobcat  there. 


68  CHIQUITA 

But  at  the  last  moment  he  changed  his  mind  or 
neglected  to  watch  the  trail  and  entered  the  left-hand 
gulch. 

It  was  getting  late  when  he  discovered  his  error, 
but  decided  not  to  retrace  his  steps,  and  the  ridge  was 
too  precipitous  to  climb  at  that  point. 

Chiquita  followed  Jack  to  Pony  Creek  and  on  down 
to  where  it  joined  Rock  Creek.  Then  Jack  went  to 
his  cabin  and  Chiquita  to  the  Indian  village,  where 
she  later  saw  Colorow  come  in,  baffled  in  his  mission, 
at  least  for  the  time  being. 

Jack  now  thoroughly  realized  the  dangerous  posi 
tion  in  which  he  was  placed  and  made  up  his  mind 
to  protect  himself  very  carefully  against  any  mishap. 
He  knew  that  Colorow  would  not  dare  to  attack  him 
openly,  and  that  safety  depended  on  constantly  guard 
ing  against  all  chance  of  surprise. 

"  Jack  is  heap  glad  to  hear  Chiquita  tell  of  how  she 
watches  for  the  white  man's  safety.  Does  Chiquita 
sabe?"  said  Jack  in  a  half  apologetic  manner,  speak 
ing  -abstractedly  and  not  knowing  what  was  best  to 
say  under  the  circumstances.  His  mind  was  taken 
up  with  the  uncertainties  of  "  good  Indians."  He 
wanted  to  trust  Yamanatz  and  Chiquita,  but  did  not 
know  how  far  either  one  would  dare  to  go  in  their 
evident  desire  to  protect  him.  His  recent  talk  with 
Yamanatz,  of  less  than  a  week  before,  was  pictured 


CATS,  TRAPS  AND  INDIANS  69 

vividly  in  Chiquita's  story  of  her  long  day's  tramp 
and  vigil  over  him,  and  he  knew  that  if  Colorow  made 
any  attempt  at  his  life  in  the  presence  of  either  Chi- 
quita  or  Yamanatz,  they  might  resist,  but  even  their 
resistance  would  possibly  be  unavailing. 

Making  an  early  start  on  the  day  following  to  go 
the  reversed  route  of  the  trip  during  which  he  had 
taken  the  nap  Chiquita  had  so  graphically  described, 
Jack  found  himself  in  the  gulch  where  the  venison 
lay  and  a  couple  of  bobcats  in  the  traps  near  the  car 
casses.  Killing  and  skinning  these  took  some  time, 
and  with  the  heavy  pelts  added  to  a  haunch  of  deer 
meat,  Jack  found  it  no  easy  task  to  climb  to  the  top 
of  the  snowy  ridge,  down  which  he  must  go  in  order 
to  reach  camp.  The  frozen,  well-worn  trail  he  must 
reach  before  darkness  set  in,  but  despite  his  most 
desperate  exertion  it  was  some  time  after  daylight 
had  departed  that  he  reached  the  long  stretch  of  white 
covered  slope.  Not  a  trail  could  he  find — not  a  wel 
come  footprint  to  guide  him  over  the  deep  ravines 
filled  with  snow,  or  away  from  precipitous  rocks  where 
a  misstep  would  land  him  far  below.  There  was  but 
one  course  to  take — straight  down  the  mountain  side. 
Throwing  away  caution,  he  started  on  a  swift  swing 
ing  trot,  each  foot  breaking  the  crust  of  snow  be 
neath  him.  Arriving  at  the  edge  of  a  ravine,  which  ap 
peared  only  smooth  snow,  he  went  into  it  up  to  his 


70  CHIQUITA 

waist;  then,  thoroughly  alarmed,  he  struggled  deeper 
into  the  ravine  until  the  snow  was  up  to  his  armpits. 
His  revolver  was  lost  and  wolves  were  already  giving 
tongue  to  dismal  howls  as  the  air  carried  to  their  nos 
trils  the  scent  of  the  venison  to  which  Jack  clung. 

His  unequal  combat  with  the  yielding  snow  grad 
ually  exhausted  his  strength  and,  growing  each  mo 
ment  weaker,  tired  nature  finally  succumbed,  and  he 
fell  unconscious.  But  the  cold  air  quickly  revived 
him.  Nearer  and  nearer  came  those  dreadful  deep- 
mouthed  tongue  signals,  augmented  by  additional 
ones  from  new  directions  and  made  still  more  heart 
breaking  by  the  yippy-yappy  of  a  bunch  of  coyotes 
which  also  joined  the  big  timber  wolves.  The  six- 
shooter  was  found  first,  then  Jack  used  a  little  reason. 
Taking  off  his  coat  and  placing  the  furs  and  coat  as 
a  support  on  the  snow,  he  rolled  over  and  over  until 
his  foot  struck  solid  earth.  Then  gathering  his  furs 
and  leg  of  venison,  he  more  carefully  descended,  his 
enemies  keeping  at  a  safe  distance,  for  in  America 
wild  animals  of  any  sort  rarely  attack  man  when  not 
molested,  even  in  the  dead  of  winter. 

Slipping  and  sliding,  he  at  last  reached  camp,  only 
to  find  both  feet  badly  frozen  at  the  heels  and  toes.  As 
he  cut  his  boots  off  and  plunged  his  extremities  into 
the  cold  water  a  whole  lot  of  adventure  went  out  of 
his  heart  with  the  frost. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

OLD  JOE  RIGGS. 

It  was  Sunday,  the  eighth  day  after  Jack  had  taken 
that  memorable  trip  so  near  unto  death.  In  the  warm 
sunshine  at  Rock  Creek  camp  the  major  part  of  the 
day  had  been  passed  by  the  young  hunter  in  writing 
up  his  journal,  carefully  jotting  down  all  the  incidents 
of  latest  development,  even  to  the  extra  spread  given 
in  his  honor  to  himself  and  three  imaginary  guests. 
He,  being  present,  had  a  good  meal,  but  the  "  invited  " 
guests  had  to  feast  by  proxy.  The  menu  started  with 
a  hambone  soup,  and  a  nice  broiled  mountain  trout, 
captured  in  a  big  hole  where  Pony  and  Rock  Creek 
join  forces.  Winter  trout  being  so  great  a  luxury, 
Jack  forgot  his  table  etiquette  and  asked  for  a  second 
portion,  and  being  refused,  he  made  a  fierce  onslaught 
upon  the  piece  de  resistance,  no  more  and  no  less  than 
a  blue  grouse  roasted  before  the  fire,  as  they  roasted 
turkeys  in  the  days  of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers.  Jack  used 
one  of  the  metal  joints  of  the  cleaning  rod  belonging 
to  his  rifle  as  a  spit,  and  as  he  turned  the  bird  slowly 


72  CHIQUITA 

and  basted  it  with  venison  fat  he  wondered,  if  his 
guests  could  really  drop  in  for  a  moment,  what  they 
would  say  about  his  culinary  efforts.  The  bird  was 
stuffed  with  real  sage  dressing;  not  quite  so  good  as 
mother  used  to  make,  as  the  mountain  sage  is  a  trifle 
stronger.  When  finished  the  grouse  was  garnished 
with  juniper  berries  and  spruce  buds,  these  being  the 
winter  food  of  the  grouse.  There  was  a  distinct  flavor 
of  the  juniper  in  the  meat.  Then  came  an  entree  of 
young  elk  brains  and  another  of  Big  Horn  kidney 
stew.  Jack  was  shy  on  vegetables  of  any  kind,  except 
Rock  Creek  baked  beans,  cooked  all  night  in  a  Dutch 
oven  sunk  in  the  hot  ashes  of  the  camp  fire ;  two  kinds 
of  bread,  baking  powder  and  sour  dough,  the  first  be 
ing  hot  biscuit,  the  latter  nice  big  slices  of  cold  white 
bread,  never  free  from  the  name  it  bears.  Stewed 
prunes  and  baked  apple  dumpling  constituted  the  pas 
try,  while  black  coffee  in  a  tin  cup  and  sparkling  Rock 
Creek  water  served  for  liquids. 

Jack  had  finished  the  "  dishes,"  the  last  rattle  of  tin 
plates,  pans,  cup  and  skillets  had  re-echoed  from  the 
depths  of  the  "  china  "  closet,  and  he  had  settled  him 
self  for  a  chat  with  his  pipe,  when  Chiquita  bounded 
into  camp  all  excitement  and  panting  for  breath. 

"  Colorow  gone  Sulphur  Springs.  Take  'em  many 
ponies  "  (counting  forty  with  her  fingers).  "  All  Utes 
except  old  men  and  Yamanatz  go  too.  Mebbe  so  come 


OLD  JOE  RIGGS  73 

back  with  bullets,  powder,  bacon,  flour,"  and  she 
stopped  to  breathe. 

Jack  contemplated,  and  while  he  did  so  Chiquita  cast 
wistful  eyes  at  the  remains  of  the  midday  banquet. 
The  longing  expression  was  not  a  new  one  to  Jack. 
He  knew  from  experience  that  Chiquita  was  a  good 
eater,  in  fact  all  Indians  had  that  failing,  so  he  mo 
tioned  the  belle  of  the  village  to  a  seat  on  the  end  of  a 
log  near  by  and  proceeded  to  dish  her  up  a  square 
meal.  He  knew  that  Yamanatz  would  be  coming 
along  soon,  so  he  reserved  some  odds  and  ends  for 
him.  When  Chiquita  had  advanced  far  enough  so  she 
could  have  time  between  mouthfuls — not  bites — to 
answer,  Jack  gave  utterance  to  his  thoughts. 

"  Colorow's  ponies  make  pretty  big  track  in  snow— 
make  heap  big  trail.  Mebbe  so  good  for  two  sleeps  on 
high  mountain  where  wind  blow." 

Chiquita  understood  and  stopped  her  struggles,  with 
a  rib  of  venison  in  one  hand  and  a  grouse  wing  in  the 
other,  long  enough  to  articulate : 

"  Chiquita  comprehends.  White  man  follow  Utes ; 
white  man  leave  Chiquita  and  Yamanatz  to  go  Sulphur 
Springs,  mebbe  so  Denver  City." 

Her  smiles  were  gone,  but  not  her  appetite,  as  she 
renewed  her  attacks  on  the  remnant  counter.  Jack  re 
plied  : 

"  Mebbe  so  Jack  be  gone  four  moons.     Come  back 


74  CHIQUITA 

when  honeysuckle  on  mountainside  and  cactus  on 
plain  in  bloom.  Will  Chiquita  and  Yamanatz  go  then 
with  Jack  to  Blazing-Eye-by-Big-Water?  " 

Jack  decided  to  get  out  of  the  Ute  country  while  the 
scalp  was  yet  on  his  head  and  not  dangling  at  the  belt 
of  any  warrior,  or  braided  into  the  make-up  of  any 
tepee  pole.  Just  then  the  clatter  of  two  ponies  down 
the  trail  caused  him  to  look  around.  In  a  moment  or 
two  the  willows  parted  and  Yamanatz,  accompanied 
by  a  white  man,  whom  Jack  recognized  as  old  Joe 
Riggs,  entered  the  camp.  To  Jack's  greeting  of 
"  How  ?  "  the  newcomers  both  made  response.  Joe  in 
quired  as  to  the  condition  of  Jack's  feet,  and  upon  be 
ing  assured  that  those  necessary  adjuncts  to  a  man's 
safety  on  Rock  Creek  were  in  fairly  good  order,  the 
cattleman  suggested  the  opportunity  presented  for 
Jack  to  make  an  attempt  to  connect  with  civilization. 

Old  Joe  Riggs  was  known  from  the  Cache  le  Poudre 
to  the  Rio  Grande ;  to  cowman,  miner,  prospector  and 
goods  store  folks.  Old  Joe  was  a  part  and  parcel  of 
the  main  range.  Forty-niners  had  bunked  with  him 
and  fifty-niners  had  divided  buffalo  steaks  with  him, 
while  sixty-niners  from  Missouri  allowed  old  Joe 
could  rock  a  cradle  or  shovel  tailings  from  the  sluice 
boxes,  and  seventy-niners  found  him  as  ready  to  take 
his  turn  at  the  drill  or  windlass  as  the  best  of  them. 
In  appearance  old  Joe  was  a  weird,  uncanny  being  that 


OLD  JOE  RIGGS  75 

made  the  creeps  run  up  and  down  one's  crupper  bone. 
Seated  upon  a  chair  in  a  room  full  of  average-sized 
people,  Joe  appeared  a  dwarf.  His  anatomy  seemed 
to  rest  on  the  ends  of  his  shoulder  blades,  while  his 
knees  formed  the  hypothenuse  of  an  inverted  right- 
angle  triangle.  When  standing  he  overtopped  every 
man  in  a  regiment  of  six-footers.  His  arms  swung 
listlessly  to  his  knees  from  the  shoulder  socket,  as  if 
lacking  in  elbow  joints,  terminating  in  hands  fashioned 
more  after  the  talons  of  an  eagle  than  those  of  a  human 
being.  His  nose  was  also  like  the  beak  of  that  fierce 
bird,  while  his  chin  retreated  from  his  underlip  in  a 
direct  line  to  the  "Adam's  apple."  High  cheek  bones 
and  protruding  forehead  caused  the  deep  sunken 
orbital  spaces  to  appear  sightless,  except  for  the  ner 
vous  batting  of  his  eyelids.  His  shoulders  were  broad, 
but  being  thin  chested,  he  was  short  on  lung  capacity, 
which  caused  a  most  extraordinary  mixture  of  gut 
tural  whispers  and  shrill  wheezes  every  time  he  tried 
to  talk.  His  strength  was  prodigious,  and  on  more 
than  one  occasion  he  had  won  his  drink  by  taking  hold 
of  the  chines  of  a  full  barrel  of  liquor,  raising  it  from 
the  ground  to  his  lips  and  drinking  his  fill  from  the 
bunghole.  The  most  startling  of  all,  though,  was  his 
wardrobe,  and  it  was  an  open  secret  that  Joe  had  his 
surname  thrust  upon  him  by  reason  of  the  various  rigs 
in  which  he  was  clad.  As  the  winter  season  ap- 


76  CHIQUITA 

preached  and  Joe  got  cold,  he  would  apprppriate  any 
and  all  old  garments  he  couki  find  lying  around  loose ; 
old  pants,  overalls,  shirts,  vests  and  socks  which  others 
had  cast  away  as  useless.  These  he  would  patch  and 
sew  together  where  necessity  demanded,  lengthening 
or  widening,  and  pull  one  garment  on  over  another. 
In  this  semi-annual  outfitting  he  would  appear  one 
day  with  overalls  reaching  just  below  the  knees,  the 
pair  under  them  revealing  their  "  frazzled  "  orna 
mentations  for  a  foot  or  more.  The  next  day,  as  like 
as  not,  he  would  find  an  old  pair  of  red  drawers,  and 
these  would  go  on  right  over  the  last  pair  of  overalls. 
When  the  spring  came  and  warm  weather  got  the  best 
of  his  clothes,  Joe  proceeded  to  divest  himself  of  a  lot 
of  useless  and  uncomfortable  rags,  for  by  that  time 
they  could  not  be  called  garments. 

Joe  at  the  present  time  was  conducting  a  vest- 
pocket  ranch  on  the  sunny  slopes  of  the  cedar-treed 
hills  rising  from  the  Grand  River  tributaries  and  in 
what  were  termed  "  warm  holes,"  being  little  areas 
of  sage-brush  covered  mesas  found  upon  the  banks  of 
the  streams.  These  miniature  parks  were  quite  fertile 
in  bunch  and  even  buffalo  grass,  and  varied  from  five 
acres  to  a  whole  section  in  extent.  His  herd  of  cattle 
consisted  of  two  heifers,  six  old  cows  and  ten  three- 
year-old  steers.  This  constituted  the  nucleus  of  an 
expectant  million-dollar  stock  farm.  It  represented 


OLD  JOE  RIGGS  77 

more  than  the  average  fortune  accumulated  by  con 
stant  and  attentive  prospecting  for  forty  years. 

Joe's  hint  at  the  opportunity  of  connecting  with 
God's  country  struck  Jack  as  a  coincidence  upon  which 
there  might  turn  a  contingency,  so  he  reasoned  with 
himself:  "Why  does  Joe  think  I  might  want  to  get 
away  from  the  Indians?  Does  he  think  I  will  desert 
my  camp  outfit  and  provisions?  Besides,  what  is  the 
old  trapper  to  do  when  he  returns  ?  " 

These  questions  were  immediately  answered  by  the 
cattleman  just  the  same  as  though  Jack  had  asked  the 
information  point  blank,  a  proceeding  which  added  to 
the  weirdness  of  Joe's  presence,  and  the  most  uncanny 
feature  of  it  was  the  total  inability  of  the  hearer  to  lo 
cate  whence  came  the  sound  that  emanated  from  that 
sepulchral  living  cadaver.  No  lips  moved  in  unison 
with  a  voice,  nor  even  did  the  gleaming  teeth,  just 
visible  through  the  parted  mouth,  open  or  close  as  if 
responsive  to  any  oral  exertions.  The  sound  came  from 
everywhere.  Joe  was  a  heaven-born  ventriloquist. 

"  Yer  needn't  be  slow  about  gittin'  away  from  Rock 
Creek  ef  yer  want  ter  go.  'Taint  nothin'  ter  me.  That 
ther'  trapper  ain't  comin'  back  'til  ther  beaver  gets  to 
usin'  thar  cutters  on  the  trees  a-buildin'  dams,  an'  then 
he  won't  cum  back  ef  thar's  goin'  to  be  trubble.  He 
tolj  me  that  ther  day  afore  he  struck  out,  savvey?  " 

Jack  did  not  need  to  have  the  cabin  fall  on  .him  nor 


78  CHIQUITA 

an  upheaval  of  the  earth  to  realize  that  the  trapper 
had  "  cut  loose  "  from  the  Rock  Creek  possibilities. 
There  was  an  ominous  silence  for  a  couple  of  minutes. 
One  thing  was  certain  in  the  minds  of  the  two  white 
men,  alone,  as  they  were,  far  from  aid  of  any  sort  in 
the  event  of  an  uprising,  and  the  thought  uppermost  in 
both  their  minds  was  as  patent  to  each  other  as  if 
branded  in  letters  of  fire — the  trapper  had  deserted 
the  tenderfoot. 

As  soon  as  this  thought  had  coursed  through  Jack's 
brain  other  thoughts  surged  one  upon  another  in  quick 
succession.  Was  it  a  frontier  conspiracy  in  which 
both  white  and  red  men  were  equally  interested  ?  Was 
it  a  put-up  job  between  the  trapper  and  Joe  and  the 
Indians — merely  a  coincidence  in  the  commission  of 
the  trade?  Perhaps  the  trapper  had  sold  the  camp 
outfit  and  Joe  had  come  to  take  possession.  This  last 
thought  made  his  heart  sick,  for  he  knew  only  too  well 
that  he  could  make  no  resistance  except  that  which 
would  end  in  a  tragedy.  Again  the  supernatural  mind- 
reading  Joe  proclaimed  himself  in  a  few  disjointed 
sentences,  but  to  Jack  they  were  most  welcome  in  their 
honesty  of  purpose  and  implication  of  the  trapper  as 
a  coward. 

"  I  reckon  yer  might  be  calkerlatin'  on  what  yer 
would  do  with  this  yere  plunder,"  said  Joe,  as  he 
pointed  at  the  camp  outfit,  the  provisions  and  the  furs 


OLD  JOE  RIGGS  79 

hanging  on  the  side  of  the  cabin.  Continuing  in  that 
monotonous  sing-song  of  gutturals  and  whispers,  he 
allowed  the  plunder  belonged  to  Jack,  for  the  trapper 
had  acknowledged  as  much. 

"  That  trapper  got  '  skeered  '  of  Colorow  and  lit 
out.  Mebbe  yer  don't  know  it,  but  the  Utes  don't  like 
him  any  too  much,  and  when  Colorow  said  '  Vamoose  ' 
yer  pardner  left  yer  to  yer  own  cogitashuns.  He  tol*  me 
that  nothin'  in  the  camp  belonged  to  him ;  thet  'twas  all 
your'n  except  the  traps  and  harness.  'Taint  likely  he'll 
come  back  'til  next  March,  so  ef  yer  don't  want  ter 
stay  'til  then  yer'll  have  to  git  a  move  on  yerself .  Thet 
trail  won't  stay  open  an  hour  on  the  high  divide,  but 
yer  can  rastle  a  couple  Ute  cayuses  through  ten  feet 
of  snow  like  a  hot  bullet  goin'  through  a  piece  of  ham 
fat,  and  onct  on  the  other  side  of  the  divide  it  will  be 
an  easy  trail  to  Kremling's,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Big 
Muddy.  Yer  don't  need  ter  take  much  along.  Yer 
will  be  out  but  one  night,  and  mebbe  yer  will  git  ter 
the  old  hunter's  cabin  about  forty  mile  from  here  'fore 
that.  Ef  yer  don't  ther  is  a  good  campin'  ground  on 
the  crik  in  a  big  pocket  five  miles  this  side." 

It  did  not  take  long  to  make  a  trade.  Jack  reserved 
his  six-shooters,  blankets  and  three  or  four  fine  cat 
and  fox  skins.  Joe  gave  him  a  good  Indian  pony,  a 
silver  watch,  and  the  balance  in  money  for  the  pro 
visions,  rifle,  ammunition  and  other  paraphernalia,  ex- 


80  CHIQUITA 

cept  the  remaining  furs,  traps  and  cooking  utensils, 
which  were  the  legitimate  belongings  of  the  trapper. 
But  the  awful  perils  of  a  trip  over  an  unknown  trail 
in  midwinter  rose  up  as  a  barrier  between  Jack  and 
civilization.  The  night  had  come  on  and  Yamanatz, 
with  Chiquita,  as  silent  witnesses  to  the  exchange  of 
chattels,  sat  beside  the  camp  fire.  Grotesque  shadows 
wavered  and  wandered  back  and  forth  in  and  out  of 
the  gloom  as  Jack  replenished  the  disappearing  em 
bers  with  new  fuel  preparatory  to  a  pow-wow  in 
which  the  final  arrangements  were  to  be  completed 
concerning  his  escape  from  Rock  Creek,  his  return 
later  when  the  winter  passed,  when  Yamanatz  should 
conduct  him  to  the  great  gold  deposit.  It  was  a  mat 
ter  of  a  hundred  miles  to  the  nearest  ranch  in  Middle 
Park,  before  reaching  which  was  a  "  divide,"  the  top 
of  which  soared  far  above  the  surrounding  hills,  and 
then  came  the  Gore,  or  Park  range,  split  by  the  Grand 
River  into  an  impassable  canon,  along  whose  steep 
side  ran  the  old  Ute  trail,  up,  up,  until  it  crossed  the 
snow-covered  summit  beyond  timber  line,  and  thence 
descended  by  serpentine  and  circuitous  windings  to 
the  southern  entrance  of  the  Park.  From  there  to  the 
ranch  on  the  Troublesome  was  open  level  country, 
across  which  was  comparatively  easy  traveling.  The 
other  pass  over  the  Gore  range,  which  was  used  by 
the  trapper  and  Jack  when  they  made  their  incoming 


OLD  JOE  RIGGS  81 

trip  to  Rock  Creek,  was  already  closed  by  snow  as 
far  as  travel  by  horses  was  concerned,  and  for  that 
matter  the  Ute  trail  was  closed,  except  for  being 
opened  by  the  band  of  Indians  and  thirty  or  forty 
ponies  bucking  their  way  through  to  Sulphur 
Springs. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE    CAMP    IN    THE    WILLOWS. 

The  most  difficult  portions  of  the  journey  would  be 
encountered  the  first  day  over  the  numerous  ridges  of 
barren  waste  intervening  between  Rock  Creek  and  the 
high  divide.  Old  Joe  shook  his  head  in  uncertain 
manner  when  Jack  asserted  his  confidence  in  being 
able  to  follow  after  Colorow.  Yamanatz  nodded  in 
assent  at  the  dangers  confronted  by  the  dilemma  of 
Jack's  unfamiliarity  with  the  trail,  and  then  in  that 
portentous  monosyllabic  manner  of  Indians  in  brief 
words  conveying  whole  paragraphs  of  information 
but  adding  to  the  dismal  forebodings,  said: 

"  White  man  all  right.  Plenty  sign  when  trail  in 
big  woods.  Heap  sign  on  big  trees.  Come  big  open, 
no  trees,  no  sign ;  one  look,  two  look,  three  look,  all 
same.  All  snow,  no  trail,  no  tree.  Get  lost ;  sundown, 
no  fire,  no  camp.  White  man  cold.  Pretty  soon  sleep ; 
fall  off  pony;  sleep  long  time." 

Then  Jack  knew  that  "  three  looks  "  would  carry 
him  from  the  top  of  one  high  hill  to  the  top  of  another, 
as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach  to  the  horizon,  into  a 


THE  CAMP  IN  THE  WILLOWS  83 

country  absolutely  treeless,  and  where  even  an  Indian 
would  be  lost  if  he  had  never  been  shown  the  trail. 
To  attempt  the  trip  alone  would  be  sheer  madness  and 
only  result  in  that  subtle  overpowering  sleep  into 
eternity — death  by  freezing. 

Yamanatz  stopped  speaking  for  a  moment  to  give 
his  hearers  ample  time  to  fully  understand  him,  then 
continued :  "  White  man  sabe  ?  Colorow  gone  one 
sleep,  mebbe  so  not  make  'em  Gore  range.  White 
man  catch  'em  pony  tomorrow.  Two  sleeps  before 
can  take  'em  trail  to  follow  Colorow,  sabe?  Colorow 
mebbe  so  come  back  meet  'em  white  man.  Colorow 
then  heap  mad,  no  get  'em  flour,  bacon.  Colorow, 
Antelope,  Bennett  all  heap  hungry.  White  man  no 
got  'em  big  gun ;  little  gun  not  much  good,  mebbe 
so  ?  "  and  Yamanatz  lapsed  into  silence. 

There  was  no  need  to  ask  anything  more.  The  cun 
ning  old  warrior  knew  only  too  well  the  fate  that 
awaited  Jack  if  Colorow  and  his  ugly  renegade  In 
dians  should  fail  to  get  through  to  Sulphur  Springs 
and  had  to  return  empty  handed  to  Rock  Creek.  Old 
Joe  knew,  too,  that  his  own  safety  would  be  prob 
lematical,  even  with  his  years  of  familiarity  with  the 
whole  Ute  tribe.  The  gloom  that  settled  over  them 
was  full  of  foreboding.  Each  one  was  striving  to 
hatch  out  a  plan  that  would  dispel  the  dangers  now 
besetting  Jack's  safety. 


84  CHIQUITA 

It  was  useless  to  think  of  old  Joe  attempting  the 
trip  with  Jack,  and  Yamanatz  made  no  sign  of  being 
willing  to  assume  the  role  of  guide.  At  last  as  Jack 
was  about  to  abandon  all  hope,  Chiquita  arose  and, 
crossing  over  to  where  Jack  was,  bid  him  to  be  of  good 
cheer. 

Pointing  to  the  stars,  she  said :  "  What  Yamanatz 
has  said  is  in  the  sky.  The  Great  Spirit  who  watches 
over  the  Indian  maiden  has  told  Chiquita  to  lead  the 
white  man  that  he  may  go  to  meet  his  white  brothers. 
Chiquita  knows  the  trail.  Chiquita  is  not  afraid.  It 
is  but  one  moon  since  Chiquita's  pony  did  paw  the 
deep  snow  and  carry  Chiquita  on  the  big  divide  to  meet 
the  Ute  braves  coming  from  the  Grand  River.  One 
sleep,  and  the  white  man  Jack  must  get  his  ponies, 
and  two  sleeps  before  the  sun  shall  show  on  top  of  the 
high  mountain.  Chiquita  will  be  ready  at  the  tepee  of 
Yamanatz  to  lead  the  white  man  over  big  divide,  where 
make  'em  one  camp  for  Chiquita  and  one  camp  for 
white  man  Jack.  One  sleep  and  Chiquita  say  adios  to 
white  man,  then  come  back  Indian  village  on  same 
day.  White  man  go  to  his  white  brothers  on  Trouble 
some,  then  go  long  way  Denver  City." 

Here  was  a  dilemma  that  confronted  Jack,  even 
more  embarrassing  than  anything  yet  thrown  in  his 
path — the  would-be  leader  of  the  select  four  hundred 
at  White  River  acting  as  guide  over  a  wild  country,  to 


THE  CAMP  IN  THE  WILLOWS         ^ 

say  nothing  of  a  one-night  camp  among  the  willows 
at  the  edge  of  some  little  creek.  It  must  have  amused 
him  to  a  great  degree,  for,  serious  as  it  was,  a  smile 
lurked  around  the  corners  of  his  mouth,  causing  Chi- 
quita  to  become  a  little  disdainful,  as  an  Indian  is 
very  sensitive  to  ridicule,  but  Jack  quickly  relinquished 
the  comical  side  of  the  question  and  his  features  again 
became  as  grave  as  those  of  old  Yamanatz.  Old  Joe 
was  the  first  to  speak : 

"  The  Injun  gal  is  made  of  the  right  stuff  and  will 
pilot  yer  to  ther  right  place,  an'  she  can  take  care  of 
herself  goin'  an'  comin'.  I've  seen  her  throw  that 
knife  in  her  belt  twenty  feet  as  straight  as  yer  can 
shoot  a  bullet  outen  that  six-shooter  of  your'n." 

Then  the  old  Ute  spoke : 

"  Chiquita  all  same  Yamanatz  show  'em  trail  to 
white  man.  White  man  sabe?" 

Jack  could  do  nothing  but  take  Chiquita's  hands  in 
his  own  and  bow  his  humblest  thanks.  It  occurred  to 
him  he  had  an  old  sealskin  cap  in  his  war  bag  and  that 
it  might  please  the  dusky  maiden.  He  soon  produced 
it  and,  with  another  friendly  greeting,  presented  it  to 
her.  It  was  lined  with  bright  red  silk,  and  she  pro 
ceeded  to  put  it  on  with  the  silk  on  the  outside,  to 
which  Jack  made  no  remonstrance.  Although  it  made 
him  bite  his  tongue,  he  did  not  "  crack  a  smile." 

Yamanatz  and  Chiquita  immediately  started  on  the 


86  CHIQUITA 

trail  for  the  Indian  village.  It  was  ten  o'clock.  After 
a  chat  with  Joe  they  both  turned  into  the  bunk,  Jack 
to  dream  of  home,  sheets  and  pillowcases,  barber 
shops,  chinaware  and  a  real  live  dining-room  table. 
It  took  all  next  day  and  far  into  the  night  to  get  his 
Ute  ponies  in  readiness  for  Tuesday's  long  journey, 
but  at  last  the  packs  were  made  up.  Three  days'  sup 
ply  for  two,  of  bread,  bacon,  tea  and  coffee,  were  made 
into  a  convenient  bundle,  to  be  rolled  into  the  blank 
ets,  which  would  in  turn  be  strapped  behind  Jack's  sad 
dle.  All  the  other  paraphernalia — Indian  moccasins, 
buckskin  shirts,  beaded  tobacco  bags  and  a  real  Ute 
war  bonnet,  with  lots  of  pipes,  elk  teeth,  bears'  claws, 
arrow  heads  and  Jack's  clothing — were  packed  in  rub 
ber  blankets,  canvas  covers  and  grain  bags,  ready  for 
the  pack-saddle  on  the  other  pony. 

It  was  just  daybreak  when  Jack  bid  the  old  Rock 
Creek  camp  farewell,  leaving  it  to  be  put  in  shape  by 
old  Joe,  who  had  helped  the  young  man  from  the  far 
east  in  his  preparations.  Old  Joe  did  not  waste  words 
in  his  good-bye  speech,  but  there  was  at  least  a  per 
ceptible  tremor  in  his  voice  and  a  decided  reluctance 
in  withdrawing  his  hand  after  the  adios  shake.  The 
Indian  village  was  reached  at  exactly  sunrise,  and  as  a 
chorus  of  yelping  dogs  greeted  the  arrival  of  the 
ponies,  a  few  squaws  poked  their  heads  out  of  the 
tepees,  nodding  a  salute  of  recognition  to  Jack.  Chi- 


THE  CAMP  IN  THE  WILLOWS  87 

quita  was  ready  to  mount  her  pony  as  soon  as  Jack 
gave  her  the  word.  He  had  tightened  the  diamond 
hitch  on  the  pack  pony  and  his  own  saddle  girth  pre 
paratory  for  a  long  lope  over  the  sage-brush  flat  that 
extended  from  the  Indian  village  across  the  small 
mesa  at  the  foot  of  the  first  hills,  which  form  the  steps 
of  the  high  divide.  Chiquita,  dressed  in  her  buck 
skin  shirt,  skirt,  leggings  and  moccasins  heavily 
trimmed  with  beads,  quickly  sprang  into  her  saddle  and 
pulled  the  blanket  up  around  her  shoulders  Indian 
fashion.  Her  hair  hung  in  heavy  braids  at  either  side 
of  her  cheeks,  while  the  sealskin  cap  with  showy  red 
silk  lining  crowned  her  head.  Into  the  peak  of  the  cap 
she  had  thrust  an  immense  eagle  feather.  The  chorus 
of  yelping  dogs  again  took  part  in  the  ceremony  at 
tending  their  departure.  As  they  ascended  the  first 
bench  several  blacktail  deer  ran  directly  across  their 
path — beautiful  animals  that  cleared  the  sage  brush  in 
graceful,  easy  bounds,  looking  first  to  the  right  and 
then  to  the  left,  as  much  as  to  say,  "  Come  on,  I'm 
ready." 

It  was  noon  when  the  last  long  snow-covered  ridge 
lay  behind  them.  For  two  hours  it  had  been  a  battle 
with  snowdrift  after  snowdrift.  The  trail  cut  by  the 
Colorow  Indian  ponies  had  been  filled  by  the  wind 
with  drifting  snow  until  not  a  sign  was  left.  Parapets 
of  snow  ten  feet  high  were  encountered,  which  had  to 


88  CHIQUITA 

be  cut  and  the  trail  again  located  by  Chiquita.  First 
one  pony  would  take  the  lead  and,  reared  on  his  hind 
feet,  paw  the  snow  down  beneath  him,  while  the  next 
in  line  trampled  it  a  second  time,  until  a  cut  was 
formed  at  a  low  point  in  that  endless  chain  of  banks 
stretching  for  miles  in  either  direction.  Towering 
forty  feet  in  the  air  were  mountains  of  the  same  daz 
zling  white,  which  had  to  be  circled,  sometimes  leav 
ing  the  trail  to  the  right  or  left  for  a  mile.  At  times 
these  detours  were  made  only  to  be  retraced  because 
of  the  impassable  blockades  rising  in  sheer  precipices, 
and  once  the  trail  opened  by  these  detours  was  found 
to  be  refilled  within  an  hour,  so  fierce  was  that  icy 
blast,  blowing  its  wanton  breath  in  seeming  malice 
against  the  weary  beasts  and  their  equally  weary 
riders. 

Jack  had  tramped  snow  for  the  ponies  on  many  oc 
casions  when  they  refused  to  move.  Chiquita  had  lent 
her  encouragement  time  and  again  as  Jack  seemed 
ready  to  abandon  the  trip,  but  at  last  behind  them  tow 
ered  the  top  of  the  big  divide,  on  whose  crest  ran  a 
snow  bank  higher  than  any  before  encountered.  Giv 
ing  a  few  moments'  rest  to  the  panting  ponies,  Jack 
took  the  lead,  for  now  the  trail  was  easily  discernible 
and  followed  without  a  break,  down,  down,  over  and 
through  a  few  more  banks  of  that  mealy  substance, 
affording  neither  footing  nor  shelter  for  man  or 


THE  CAMP  IN  THE  WILLOWS  89 

beast,  until  the  warm  forests  of  pine  once  more  pro 
tected  them  from  the  frightful  cold. 

At  the  first  convenient  spot  Jack  cleared  away  the 
snow  from  a  huge  rock  and  soon  had  a  cheerful  fire 
roaring,  which  furnished  warmth  to  their  numbed 
bodies ;  then  from  his  tin  cup  in  which  snow  was 
melted  he  brewed  a  refreshing  draught  of  tea,  which, 
with  a  bite  of  frozen  bread  thawed  out  on  the  hot  rock, 
appeased  their  hunger  for  the  time  being.  By  the  aid 
of  a  pocket  thermometer  Jack  ascertained  the  tempera 
ture  to  be  36  degrees  below  zero.  The  sky  was  clear, 
but  even  at  the  edge  of  the  timber  a  thousand  feet 
below  that  terrible  snow-turreted  ridge  the  wind 
screamed  in  its  fury  and  pierced  the  heavy  garments 
and  blankets  within  which  Chiquita  and  Jack  were 
encased.  The  ponies  humped  their  backs  at  the  lee 
side  of  the  fire  and  seemed  grateful  for  a  few  mouths- 
ful  of  smoke  in  lieu  of  a  wisp  of  dry  buffalo  grass. 
Conversation  was  almost  impossible,  as  words  were 
not  audible  three  feet  distant.  Both  were  too  numb  to 
talk,  and  it  was  difficult  even  to  eat.  The  half  hour  at 
an  end,  Jack  struck  into  the  trail,  leading  his  pony. 
Chiquita  had  not  dismounted  since  leaving  the  Indian 
village,  and  was  getting  pretty  stiff  with  cold.  At  the 
end  of  another  half  hour  she  managed  to  make  Jack 
hear  her,  and  after  considerable  trouble  he  found  a 
log  by  the  side  of  the  trail,  where  she  could  stand  and 


90  CHIOUITA 

swing  first  one  leg  and  then  the  other  to  restore  cir 
culation.  After  ten  minutes'  vigorous  exercise  she  re 
mounted,  and  the  little  procession  again  started 
through  the  down  timber. 

They  had  reached  a  portion  of  heavy  forest  that 
had  been  ravaged  by  timber  fires.  Miles  and  miles  of 
immense  trees  lay  in  chaotic  confusion.  Tall  spires 
of  limbless  bark-burned  pines  stretched  eighty,  one 
hundred  and  even  a  hundred  and  fifty  feet  skyward, 
the  weather-beaten  trunks  white  with  the  storm- 
scouring  of  years.  Through  this  desolate  stretch  of 
ghostyard  (a  veritable  birthplace  for  spooks  and  gob 
lins,  the  terror  of  that  docile  animal  known  as  the 
Rocky  Mountain  canary,  but  usually  called  a  jackass) 
the  party  moved  in  silent  Indian  trot,  each  step  taking 
them  nearer  and  nearer  the  warmer  region  of  cedar, 
piiion  and  sage  brush,  through  groves  of  quaking 
asps,  whose  leaves  in  the  summer  time  never  cease  their 
eternal  and  restless  quiver  and  upon  whose  smooth 
trunks  were  Indian  signs  galore.  On  the  larger  and 
older  trees  could  be  found  those  subtle  knifecuts, 
conveying  intelligence  through  representations  of 
chickens,  horses,  snakes,  hatchets,  knives,  guns,  arrows 
and  other  characters  which  in  the  past  had  warned  of 
the  approaching  enemy  or  told  of  the  chase,  of  the  suc 
cess  or  the  defeat  not  only  of  Utes,  but  of  Sioux, 
Apaches,  Arapahoes  and  Kiowas.  Many  an  hour  had 


THE  CAMP  IN  THE  WILLOWS  91 

Jack  spent  in  studying  these  trees  which  are  scattered 
over  the  Rocky  Mountain  region,  bearing  whole  his 
tories,  trees  generally  found  within  an  altitude  of  6,000 
to  8,000  feet  above  sea  level. 

It  was  not  long  after  passing  through  this  belt  that 
they  came  to  the  south  hillsides,  whose  slopes  were 
free  from  snow  and  where  the  runways  for  deer,  elk 
and  mountain  sheep  became  more  and  more  numerous. 
Stocky  little  cedar  trees  stretched  forth  their  long 
arms  over  the  trail,  sending  forth  fragrance  of  lead- 
pencils  and  giving  a  slap  on  the  face  if  the  rider 
neglected  to  duck  in  season  to  avoid  the  branch.  En 
tering  a  sage-brush  covered  mesa,  immense  jack- 
rabbits  bounded  hither  and  thither,  sage  hens  flew  up 
with  a  whir  of  their  wings  and  the  shrill  scream  of 
an  eagle  greeted  their  ears  as  if  to  warn  them  against 
entering  his  domain.  As  the  trail  led  them  nearer 
and  nearer  to  the  banks  of  a  good  sized  creek  the 
ponies  became  restive,  and  finally  the  pack  animal  re 
sorted  to  that  well-known  method  of  suggesting  that 
it  was  time  to  make  camp  by  "  bucking  " — not  a  stop 
in  the  bucking  process  until  blankets,  bags  and  bun 
dles  were  scattered  for  a  mile  over  the  sage-brush  flat. 
It  was  an  hour's  work  for  both  Jack  and  Chiquita  to 
get  the  plunder  together  and  again  pack  it  on  the  re 
fractory  cayuse,  and  it  was  all  the  more  aggravating, 
as  it  was  only  a  couple  of  miles  from  the  spot  selected 
for  camp. 


92  CHIQUITA 

Arriving  at  a  bend  in  the  creek — rather  it  was  a 
fair  sized  river — they  proceeded  to  make  the  best  of 
everything  at  their  command.  There  was  a  space 
along  the  edge  of  the  river  about  two  hundred  feet 
wide,  covered  here  and  there  with  wild  rye,  at  the 
roots  of  which  was  dried  buffalo  grass.  This  strip 
of  land  ran  back  to  a  canon  wall,  a  precipice  some 
forty  feet  high,  sheer  and  without  foothold  for  even  a 
wildcat.  Thick  willows  grew  along  the  base  of  this 
wall,  and  it  was  but  a  few  minutes  after  the  ponies 
were  relieved  of  their  saddles  ere  Jack  had  selected 
two  favorable  spots  which  would  afford  reasonably 
good  beds,  one  for  Chiquita  and  one  for  himself.  Cut 
ting  away  the  willows  up  to  the  wall  in  a  narrow 
space  just  big  enough  for  one  to  lie  down,  and  form 
ing  a  mattress  of  others  occupied  but  a  little  time. 
Meanwhile,  Chiquita  had  brought  driftwood  and  dry 
sticks  until  an  immense  pile  of  fuel  was  in  readiness 
for  the  long  night.  The  ponies  were  picketed,  one 
on  each  side  of  the  camp  and  the  third  one  close  to 
the  edge  of  the  stream,  forming  a  guard  past  which 
no  wild  animal  would  attempt  to  go.  It  was  now  dark 
and  the  ponies  were  foraging  for  buffalo  grass,  while 
Jack  toasted  some  bacon  on  a  stick,  made  coffee  in  an 
old  baked-bean  can,  which  he  had  thoughtfully  tied  to 
the  pack-saddle,  and  toasted  the  frozen  bread  on  a  hot 
rock.  During  the  early  dusk  the  mew  of  a  plaintive 


THE  CAMP  IN  THE  WILLOWS  93 

camp  bird  gave  notice  that  that  mountain  sentinel  was 
at  hand,  and  the  handsome  gray-coated  camp  follower 
would  spread  his  black-tipped  wings  and  fly  down  to 
the  edge  of  the  fire,  looking  for  crumbs  and  refuse  of 
the  "  kitchen."  Chiquita  gave  him  a  few  morsels,  but 
there  was  little  to  spare  from  the  stock  at  hand. 

After  they  had  satisfied  their  hunger  Jack  and  Chi 
quita  settled  themselves  for  a  long  talk.  It  was  the 
first  opportunity  that  had  been  presented  since  old  Joe 
and  Yamanatz  interrupted  them  the  Sunday  before 
after  the  six-course  banquet  Jack  had  given  his  east 
ern  friends  by  proxy. 

The  ponies  tugged  at  their  picket  ropes,  wandering 
around  in  search  of  overlooked  patches  of  grass.  Oc 
casionally  a  wolf  howl  mournfully  awakened  the  still 
ness  of  the  gathering  darkness,  to  be  answered  by 
others  of  the  same  species,  each  animal  in  the  com 
mon  quest  of  something  to  eat,  and  all  probably  at 
tracted  by  the  camp  fire  and  its  attendant  odors. 

A  first-quarter  moon  shed  its  cold,  silvery  light  on 
the  drama  at  the  base  of  the  precipitous  rock.  The  air 
was  crisp  and  still.  Thje  splashing  stream  dashing  its 
burden  along  the  confines  of  its  narrow  channel  to  the 
Pacific  Ocean  was  the  orchestra,  keeping  in  touch  with 
the  scene,  staged  by  no  artificial  hand  and  curtained 
by  the  star-spangled  canopy  of  night.  The  camp  fire 
sent  showers  of  sparks  far  aloft  and  its  warmth  un- 


94  CHIQUITA 

loosened  the  tense-drawn  muscles,  every  one  of  which 
had  been  called  upon  to  its  utmost  capacity  in  the  bat 
tles  that  the  weary  travelers  had  encountered  with 
the  snowdrifts.  Jack  lay  stretched  upon  the  sand  by 
the  fire,  while  Chiquita  stood  beside  him.  They  had 
recounted  the  perils  of  the  day  and  had  outlined  their 
respective  trips  for  the  morrow — she  to  face  again  the 
dangers  of  the  divide  and  go  back  to  the  uneducated, 
primitive  life  of  the  forest  man,  degraded  by  the  de 
ceits  and  intrigues  of  the  avaricious,  land-grabbing 
representatives  of  schools,  colleges  and  institutions, 
proclaiming  the  law  to  be  justice,  he  to  face  the  vicis 
situdes  of  an  unknown  trail,  the  possibility  of  meeting 
a  murderous  band  of  these  forest  men  while  on  his 
way  back  to  that  realm  of  advanced  civilization,  edu 
cated  to  the  highest  degree  of  refinement  of  "  doing  " 
others  legally. 

Both  had  remained  silent  for  a  long  time  after  the 
exchanges  of  the  day's  experiences.  Jack  wanted  to 
express  his  gratitude  to  Chiquita  for  her  bravery  and 
self-imposed  task  in  conducting  him  over  the  trail, 
for  he  now  fully  realized  the  certain  death  that  awaited 
him  had  he  undertaken  the  trip  alone.  But  he  was 
not  master  of  words  that  the  Indian  maiden  would 
understand  in  their  fullest  import,  nor  did  he  hope  to 
be  able  to  convey  by  signs  that  which  was  uppermost 
in  his  mind. 


THE  CAMP  IN  THE  WILLOWS  95 

It  may  be  Chiquita  read  his  thoughts,  but  was  equal 
ly  at  loss  to  find  adequate  words  to  impart  any  assist 
ance.  Finally,  after  many  misgivings  as  to  what  she 
might  consider  an  ample  word  reward,  he  started  in 
at  random : 

"  Chiquita  sabe  that  she  has  been  good  to  Jack  ?  " 

"  Me  no  sabe,  Sefior." 

Jack  was  nonplussed.  In  her  he  found  the  same 
ability  to  dissemble  that  predominated  in  the  well- 
known  character  of  the  first  lady  in  the  Garden  of 
Eden.  He  tried  to  recall  some  Spanish  words  that 
she  might  understand,  but  none  of  the  few  which  he 
essayed  to  use  met  with  any  better  reception. 

"  Chiquita  heap  brave,"  said  Jack,  to  which  she 
made  no  reply. 

"  Chiquita  save  Jack ;  make  'em  glad  Jack's  heart. 
What  Jack  do  to<  make  Chiquita's  heart  glad  ?  " 

He  at  last  had  struck  the  right  chord,  as  her  face 
beamed  with  a  glad  response,  but  it  brought  questions 
causing  a  train  of  thought  which  made  him  smile  even 
at  the  risk  of  incurring  her  displeasure.  To  express 
gratitude  to  an  Indian  requires  much  more  diplomacy 
and  skill  than  is  required  under  like  circumstances  in 
civilized  communities. 

"  Would  the  fair-faced  sister  of  the  white  man  save 
Jack  all  same  Chiquita?  Would  the  pale-face  maiden 
bring  firewood  and  sleep  in  willow  bed  to  save  white 
man's  life?" 


96  CHIQUITA 

Her  eyes  blazed  in  the  consciousness  of  knowing 
that  in  the  present  age  on  the  American  Continent  no 
white  woman  had  ever  been  put  to  a  like  test.  Whether 
she  felt  this  intuitively  or  whether  she  had  learned  it 
from  the  squaws  who  had  visited  the  big  cities  as  they 
recounted  the  adoration  extended  by  the  male  to  the 
weaker  sex  as  a  part  and  parcel  of  civilization,  it  mat 
ters  not. 

Jack  knew  that  he  was  at  as  great  a  disadvantage  in 
her  presence  as  if  at  the  mercy  of  the  divinest  coquette 
in  all  of  God's  country.  He  essayed  to  answer,  but 
something  restrained  him.  It  was  not  fear;  it  was 
not  because  he  had  his  own  misgivings  on  the  sub 
ject,  nor  was  it  because  he  had  no  ready  reply.  Never 
theless,  he  waited  and  in  his  mind  he  tried  to  picture 
one  of  the  belles  of  society  bucking  snow  to  save  some 
football  graduate  from  death,  or  one  sleeping  in  the 
open  air,  without  a  chaperon,  and  a  man  in  the  same 
canon.  What  would  Mrs.  Grundy  say?  Of  course 
he  thought  of  the  story  by  an  eminent  author  where 
there  was  a  scuttled  ship  laden  with  gold,  a  clergyman 
and  a  rich  man's  daughter  cast  upon  an  unknown 
island,  and  Jack  acknowledged  he  had  never  heard  of 
Mrs.  Grundy  making  unkind  remarks  about  that  tale. 
But  that  was  the  result  of  accident,  and  mortuary 
tables  classify  accidental  risks  in  a  category  by  them 
selves. 


THE  CAMP  IN  THE  WILLOWS  97 

Chiquita  had  suggested  the  society  belle  who  would 
voluntarily  give  up  half  her  estate  for  a  real  live,  acci 
dental  romance  that  did  not  incur  too  much  danger. 
Would  she  leave  her  maid  and  steam  radiator  and  in 
the  midst  of  a  western  blizzard  sally  forth  to  carry  coal 
up  three  flights  of  stairs  to  a  poor,  benighted  student, 
and  then  sleep  on  the  doormat,  for  any  reward  there 
might  be  in  store  for  her,  either  from  a  consciousness 
of  having  performed  a  creditable  act  or  because  she 
loved  him? 

Of  course,  Jack  knew  there  was  no  occasion  ever 
presented  where  a  loving  young  thing,  just  out  of  the 
sixth  grade,  had  been  called  upon  to  carry  anything 
any  more  formidable  than  a  bunch  of  roses  to  a  sick 
friend,  and  the  modern  equipages  splashed  only  a  lit 
tle  dirty  water  over  roads  well  kept  from  snowdrifts 
by  indulgent  taxpayers.  Still,  the  question  had  been 
asked,  and  he  manfully  determined  to  stand  up  for  the 
fair  ones  across  the  range. 

"  Si,  Sefiorita  Chiquita,  the  Indian  maiden  has  said 
it.  The  pale-faced  sisters  of  Jack  would  save  their 
white  brothers — even  their  red  brothers  and  their 
black  brothers.  The  fair  sisters  of  the  white  man 
brave  death  in  many  ways  for  their  white  brothers. 
See,  Chiquita,  the  medicine  tepee  of  the  white  man  is 
great  as  the  high  rock.  It  has  many  beds,  more  than 
the  number  of  all  Yamanatz's  ponies.  The  young  man 


98  CHIQUITA 

who  makes  the  gun,  the  maiden  who  makes  the  pretty 
cap  mebbe  so  breaks  the  leg.  Mebbe  so  the  big  steam 
cars  come  together  all  in  big  smash — kill  many,  heap 
hurt  all.  Then  taken  'em  to  white  man's  medicine 
tepee.  Medicine  man  tie  up  head,  arms,  legs,  and 
white  maiden  in  medicine  clothes,  all  clean  dress, 
white  cap,  red  cross  on  the  arm,  give  sick  man  medi 
cine,  wash  sick  man's  hands,  feet;  give  little  some 
thing  to  eat,  sit  beside  'em,  feel  of  hot  head;  stay  all 
day,  stay  all  night;  watch  'em  little  blood  knocks  on 
the  wrist,  count  all  same  on  little  watch.  Mebbe  so 
one  get  well,  go  way,  good-bye.  Mebbe  so  some  die, 
go  way  too.  Some  more  come  bad  hurt.  Mebbe  so  like 
mountain  fever ;  mebbe  so  heap  sick  inside.  Big 
medicine  man  takes  little  knife,  cut  'em  all  open,  so. 
Cut  out  big  chunk,  mebbe  so  little  chunk,  all  same; 
sew  'em  up  again,  so,  sabe?  White  maiden  stand  by, 
help  big  medicine  man.  'Mother  medicine  man  stand 
by  give  'em  heap  strong  stuff  on  cloth,  sabe?  Sick 
man  all  same  breathe  'em  in,  byme  by  go  sleep ;  no 
feel  'em  knife.  Big  medicine  man  heap  cut.  Sick  man 
no  feel  all  same.  Byme  by  wake  up.  Heap  sick  now 
long  time ;  mebbe  get  all  well ;  mebbe  so  one  moon, 
mebbe  so  two  moons;  mebbe  so  die.  All  same  pale 
face  maiden  heap  brave;  save  many  white  man  like 
Jack." 

Chiquita  never  took  her  eyes  from  Jack's  counte- 


THE  CAMP  IN  THE  WILLOWS  99 

nance.  That  she  fully  understood  every  phase  of  the 
hospital  life  as  portrayed  by  him  was  evident  from 
the  dilated  nostril,  the  wide-open  eyes  and  the  tumultu 
ous  heaving  of  the  bosom  through  the  heavy  folds  of 
her  buckskin.  She  waited  a  full  two  minutes  after 
Jack  had  finished,  and  then  in  a  voice  just  above  a 
whisper  asked :  "  Will  the  white  man  Jack  take  Chi- 
quita  to  see  the  medicine  tepee  of  the  white  people 
that  she  may  see  the  fair  white  sister  in  her  medicine 
clothes?" 

Jack  little  realized  that  he  had  touched  the  one  chord 
in  Chiquita's  character  that  she  yearned  to  follow. 
The  imaginings  of  her  young  life  had  met  with  no 
sympathetic  response.  She  revolted  at  the  cruelty 
often  displayed  by  the  warriors  in  the  Indian  village, 
and  the  atrocities  committed  on  captives  while  she  was 
but  a  child  were  hideous  recollections. 

Jack  quickly  replied :  "  When  Jack  comes  back  to 
go  with  Yamanatz  to  Blazing-Eye-by-Big- Water  then 
Chiquita  will  see  big  medicine  tepee  in  Denver  City 
and  the  fair  sister  in  her  medicine  clothes." 

"  Will  Jack  come  back  Rock  Creek  when  beaver  cut 
'em  big  tree  ?  "  asked  the  Indian  girl. 

Jack  figured  that  April  would  be  early  enough,  and 
even  that  would  require  him  to  use  snowshoes  a  great 
part  of  the  distance.  The  Berthoud  pass  would  not  be 
open  until  June,  and  he  doubted  if  the  snow  would  be 


100  CHIQUITA 

passable  for  ponies  on  the  high  divide  they  had  just 
crossed,  but  the  Gore  range  could  be  crossed  farther 
north  and  obviate  the  high  ridge  and  its  deep  snow. 

"  Jack  will  come  back  the  first  new  moon  after 
beaver  begin  cut.  Will  Chiquita  be  in  tepee  near  Pony 
Creek  or  White  River?  "  He  both  answered  one  ques 
tion  and  asked  another. 

"  Me  no  sabe  where  Chiquita  then,"  she  replied,  in 
a  rather  sorrowful  tone,  continuing :  "  Mebbe  so  all 
go  to  agency,  mebbe  so  stay  on  Pony  Creek.  White 
man  no  find  Chiquita  on  Pony  Creek,  go  all  same 
agency  find  'em  Yamanatz.  Where  Yamanatz  there 
Chiquita  wait  for  white  man  Jack." 

That  being  settled,  Jack  took  the  blankets  and  dis 
tributed  them  on  the  willow  beds.  He  then  replenished 
the  fire  with  some  half -green  logs  pulled  from  a  pile 
of  drift  wood,  examined  the  picket  ropes  of  the  ponies 
and  lit  his  pipe  for  another  smoke.  Chiquita  wrapped 
herself  in  her  blanket,  tucked  herself  into  a  big  wild 
cat-skin  bag,  which  made  a  part  of  her  bed  on  the 
willow  branches,  and  was  soon  asleep. 

Through  the  rings  of  smoke  which  curled  from  his 
pipe  Jack  sensed  the  future,  as  a  spiritualist  would 
say,  and,  realizing  that  this  would  in  all  probability 
be  his  last  night  of  outdoor  life  for  some  time  to  come, 
he  was  loath  to  close  his  eyes  in  sleep,  shutting  out 
the  grand  retrospect  of  independence  which  a  few 


THE  CAMP  IN  THE  WILLOWS         101 

months'  experience  on  the  frontier  had  taught  him — 
a  life  absolutely  free  from  conventionalities,  police  in 
terference  and  taxes. 

"  No  wonder,"  he  soliloquized,  "  that  the  red  man 
prefers  the  avenues  of  the  forest,  the  virgin  plains 
of  grass,  the  rugged  canons  running  with  sparkling 
water,  the  smoke  of  his  tepee  fire  and  a  starry  dome  for 
his  homestead,  to  the  cobblestones,  the  plowed  ground, 
the  artificial  goose  ponds,  the  greasy-surfaced  rivers, 
the  steam-heated,  foul-smelling  hothoused  monu 
ments  of  man's  industry  and  civilization." 

The  ponies  snorted  as  though  an  intruder  was  lurk 
ing  on  the  outskirts  of  the  camp.  Jack  kicked  one  of 
the  smoldering  logs  and  a  shower  of  sparks  were 
borne  upward  into  the  dark  night  air.  A  few  moments 
later  and  the  prowler's  deep,  dismal  howl  wafted  along 
the  river  course,  supplemented  by  the  short,  snappy 
yelps  of  half  a  dozen  coyotes.  The  interruption  was 
ended  and  the  man  of  the  house  again  lapsed  into 
speculation. 

"  Who  would  believe  that  Jack  Sheppard  would  be 
here  alone  with  that  Indian  girl  in  the  middle  of  Janu 
ary,  over  a  thousand  miles  from  his  home,  where  are 
velvet  carpets  and  feather  beds  for  old  folks,  eider 
down  quilts  for  his  sisters  and  probably  a  good  hair 
mattress  and  blankets  for  the  butler  ?  " 

Knocking  the  ashes  from  his  pipe  and  placing  that 


102  CHIQUITA 

article  of  luxury  safely  in  an  Indian-beaded  buckskin 
tobacco  pouch,  he  drew  one  foot  up  and  clasped  his 
hands  over  the  greasy  overalled  knee,  resting  his  back 
against  one  of  the  log  "  divans  "  which  go  to  make  up 
every  camp,  even  be  they  temporary  ones.  He  had 
divested  himself  of  his  outer  coat  and  relied  upon  the 
heavy  buckskin  shirt  and  the  camp  fire  for  protection 
from  the  cold.  Long  strings,  demanded  by  frontier 
fashion,  dangled  idly  from  the  sleeves  and  -yoke  of 
the  garment.  As  he  silently  contemplated  his  ward 
robe  he  gave  an  additional  sigh  and  wondered,  almost 
aloud : 

"  I  suppose  these  will  have  to  give  way  to  a  '  biled  ' 
shirt,  tailor-made  clothes  and  white  collar,  to  say  noth 
ing  of  getting  a  haircut  regularly." 

This  last  "  think "  made  Jack  unclasp  his  hands 
rather  hastily,  but  having  assured  himself  that  his 
hair  was  still  intact,  he  gave  vent  to  more  soliloquy. 

"  If  I  were  to  walk  into  that  Sunday-school  class  of 
mine,  of  ten-year-olds,  in  this  rig,  I  wonder  if  the 
shorter  catechism  would  stand  any  show  ?  " 

\Yith  a  smile  he  proceeded  to  throw  on  a  couple 
more  logs,  refresh  himself  with  a  drink  of  water  and, 
having  divested  himself  of  his  boots,  using  a  saddle 
and  coat  for  a  pillow,  he  pulled  the  blankets  around 
himself  and  was  soon  fast  asleep. 

He  was  awakened  by  snorts  of  all  three  ponies.  The 


THE   CAMP   IN   THE  WILLOWS. 


THE  CAMP  IN  THE  WILLOWS         103 

fire  had  burned  out  with  the  exception  of  a  bed  of 
coals  glowing  in  the  deep  black  night.  The  "  watch 
dogs"  of  the  camp  had  crowded  up  to  the  lengths  of 
their  picket  ropes,  getting  as  near  each  other  as  they 
could.  Jack  slowly  raised  himself  to  a  sitting  posi 
tion  and  listened  attentively.  Peering  out  through  the 
willows  he  could  see,  by  the  restive  tugging  of  the 
ponies  at  their  fastenings  with  the  pricking  of  their 
ears  toward  the  high  precipice,  that  the  cause  for 
alarm  did  not  come  from  inside  the  canon.  Cautiously 
putting  on  a  pair  of  moccasins,  which  he  always  had 
near  him  at  night,  he  picked  up  his  .44  and  was 
on  the  point  of  stepping  into  the  open  by  the  fire, 
when  from  above  came  a  screech,  a  long  cat-like  growl 
of  defiance,  yet  defeat,  that  made  the  canon  echo  and 
re-echo  with  maniacal  vocal  debauchery.  Jack's  heart, 
it  is  needless  to  say,  quit  doing  business  peremptorily 
for  at  least  thirty  seconds.  His  eyes  followed  the  ear- 
vanes  on  the  ponies'  heads,  and  just  at  the  edge  of  that 
breastwork  of  rock  could  be  seen  two  golden  discs  as 
big  as  car  wheels,  Jack  thought.  A  greenish  glare 
as  of  a  halo  surrounded  the  yellow  spots,  and  occa 
sionally  the  bright  spots  suddenly  disappeared  only  to 
shine  forth  again  appallingly  bright.  It  was  a  moun 
tain  lion  taking  snap  shots  while  it  speculated  on  its 
appetite.  Jack  stepped  out  and  gave  the  end  of  a 
burned  log  a  kick  into  the  hot  coals.  Millions  of 


104  CHIQUITA 

sparks  flew  up.  The  big  lemon-colored  orbs  slunk 
back  out  of  sight  and  ten  minutes  later  the  faint  repeti 
tion  of  the  first  number  proclaimed  the  concert  ended. 

The  "  big  dipper  "  pointed  to  3  o'clock.  Throwing 
on  some  more  fuel  the  fire  blazed  high.  Chiquita  thrust 
her  head  out  of  the  environments  of  the  fur  bag  and 
sat  up  in  the  willow  retreat.  "  Me  want  'em  drink ; 
mouth  heap  dry,"  was  the  laconic  remark  she  made  to 
Jack  as  he  acknowledged  her  wakefulness.  Giving  her 
a  cup  of  water,  he  referred  to  the  visitor  just  departed, 
to  which  she  scornfully  replied : 

"  Heap  big  coward,  big  cat  with  long  tail.  Little 
cat  with  short  tail  all  same  like  this  bag,  no  coward. 
Big  cat  all  same  you  call  'em  lion,  no  catch  'em 
ponies,  Indian  or  white  man,  all  time  afraid.  Big  cat 
catch  'em  rabbit,  lame  deer.  Mebbe  so  heap  hungry 
tackle  'em  big  elk;  drop  from  big  tree  on  elk  back. 
Big  cat,  little  cat,  wolf,  bear,  no  come  near  camp  fire. 
Look  at  camp  fire  long  way  off.  Chiquita  no  fraid 
when  all  'lone." 

With  this  piece  of  information,  with  which  Jack 
was  already  acquainted,  they  both  resumed  their  in 
terest  in  the  land  of  Nod. 

The  bright  winter  sun  had  not  mounted  far  enough 
in  the  heavens  to  shed  any  warm  rays  into  the  camp 
when  Jack  pulled  on  his  boots  and  poked  the  fire  pre 
paratory  to  an  early  breakfast.  The  ponies  did  not 


THE  CAMP  IN  THE  WILLOWS         105 

look  as  if  dyspepsia  troubled  them,  nor  did  Jack  feel 
overburdened  with  belly  worship.  The  little  larder 
was  a  hollow  mockery  to  the  knockings  of  a  ravenous 
appetite.  Jack  concluded  that  a  well-fed  discretion 
was  better  than  hungry  haste,  so  he  meandered  down 
the  river  in  search  of  a  rabbit,  while  Chiquita  at 
tended  to  her  morning  ablutions.  About  the  time  that 
the  average  city  girl  would  have  consumed  with  curl 
ing  tongs,  cashmere  bouquet  and  in  getting  her  hat  on 
straight,  Jack  returned  with  a  nice  fat  "  jack  "  of  the 
lepus  cunicnlus  family,  all  ready  for  the  coals.  It  did 
not  take  long  to  cook  the  choice  cuts  from  the  delecta 
ble  portions  of  "  Bunny."  The  seasoning  was  rather, 
crude,  consisting  of  powder  taken  from  a  misfire  cart 
ridge,  which  Jack  happened  to  have  in  his  belt.  But 
"  saltpeter  in  gunpowder  is  better  than  no  salt  at  all  " 
is  an  old  axiom  among  hunters.  This  addition  to  the 
"  hollow  mockery  "  larder  sent  their  spirits  up  to  the 
top  of  the  goodfellowship  thermometer. 

"A  burned  hare  is  worth  two  in  the  bush,"  said  Jack, 
as  he  irreverently  twisted  a  trite  quotation  and  rabbit 
leg.  But  Chiquita  kept  right  on  in  her  argument  with 
a  section  of  the  vertebra  just  roasted  on  a  forked  stick. 

After  the  first  pangs  of  hunger  had  been  somewhat 
appeased  the  Indian  girl  said  to  Jack,  "  What  you  call 
'em  little  things  use  all  same  knife  when  eat  off  tin 
plate?" 


106  CHIQUITA 

Jack  recalled  the  fact  of  some  cheap  silver-plated 
forks  that  made  up  the  camp  kit. 

"  Forks,"  he  replied,  adding,  as  Chiquita  seemed  to 
want  further  information,  "  The  fair  sisters  of  Jack 
no  eat  'em  venison  with  fingers,  all  same  Chiquita. 
Think  'em  Chiquita  wild  girl.  When  Jack  come  back 
bring  'em  forks  and  spoons  for  Chiquita." 

To  this  she  seemed  satisfied,  but  remarked :  "  Mebbe 
so  fingers  pale  face  girl  good  play  'em  tom-tom,  make 
'em  beadwork,  wash  'em  tin  plates.  No  good  catch 
'em  pony,  cut  'em  firewood,  make  'em  buckskin." 

With  this  she  scornfully  turned  her  lip  up  in  a  man 
ner  that  made  Jack  laugh  outright,  a  proceeding  that 
always  made  Chiquita's  eyes  snap  with  dangerous  fire. 
He  quieted  her  by  pointing  at  the  sun  as  an  indication 
that  it  was  time  to  say  adios.  The  ponies  were  brought 
up  and  quickly  saddled,  Jack's  belongings  packed  in 
the  most  approved  fashion  to  stand  another  hard  climb 
over  the  Gore  range,  and  Chiquita's  restive  "  Bonito  " 
carefully  cinched  for  the  return  trip  to  the  Indian  vil 
lage.  The  last  point  of  the  "  diamond  hitch  "  had  been 
made  and  the  rope  drawn  taut ;  the  last  knot  had  been 
tied  over  the  roll  of  blankets  behind  Jack's  saddle,  and 
the  last  of  the  morning's  banquet  had  been  divided  be 
tween  the  wayfarers,  whose  journeys  would  in  a  few 
moments  lead  in  opposite  directions.  As  Chiquita  ar 
ranged  herself  on  the  back  of  "  Bonito  "  she  looked 
wistfully  at  the  sky  and  surrounding  peaks. 


THE  CAMP  IN  THE  WILLOWS         107 

"  Me  make  'em  Yamanatz  tepee  sun  here,"  pointing 
halfway  down  the  horizon  to  the  west. 

Jack  signified  his  expectations  by  remarking,  rather 
dubiously,  "  Me  mebbe  so  get  to  Troublesome  heap 
dark." 

Following  the  direction  of  Chiquita's  finger  as  she 
pointed  to  the  high  divide  where  the  previous  day 
they  had  battled  long  in  the  deep  snow,  Jack  felt  some 
misgivings  as  to  the  Indian  girl  being  able  to  ride  the 
big  drift  down.  But  the  confidence  she  enjoyed  in  her 
own  ability  to  stand  hardship  and  the  additional  re 
liance  she  placed  in  the  thoroughbred  Ute  pony  was 
summed  up  in  her  one  decisive  comment,  uttered  al 
most  imperiously,  at  least  scornfully : 

"  Bonito  take  Chiquita  through  deep  snow  like  big 
fish  go  through  foaming  water.  Wind  all  gone  up 
there  now." 

Jack  threw  himself  into  his  saddle  and  reined  up 
beside  the  future  medicine  queen  of  the  White  River 
LTtes.  She  drew  from  her  bosom  a  beaded  buckskin 
bag,  from  which  she  took  a  pair  of  beaver's  jaws,  the 
short  teeth  bound  with  otter  and  a  long  strip  of  moun 
tain-lion  fur  bound  firmly  around  a  braid  of  her  own 
hair.  She  handed  them  to  Jack,  saying  in  a  low, 
almost  beseeching  tone :  "  Will  the  white  man  Jack 
bring  em  back  Chiquita's  medicine  teeth  when  the 
beaver  cuts  the  trees  ?  " 


108  CHIQUITA 

It  was  a  great  sacrifice  to  part  with  the  "  medicine," 
to  which  all  Indians  pin  their  faith.  Otter  and  moun 
tain-lion  fur  especially  is  woven  into  -the  long  straight 
braids  of  both  buck  and  squaw  to  drive  away  evil 
spirits,  and  Chiquita  evidently  had  been  to  a  good 
deal  of  trouble  to  obtain  the  prescription  from  the  head 
medicine  man  for  her  own  use.  The  beaver  teeth  were 
symbolic  of  the  time  when  Chiquita  expected  Jack  to 
keep  faith  with  her.  His  reply  was  made  while  the 
palms  of  both  hands  were  stretched  toward  her,  the 
fingers  pointing  up. 

"  Jack  will  come,"  then  pressing  his  knees  against 
the  sides  of  his  pony,  he  leaned  over  and,  after  a  quick 
hand  grasp,  bid  adios  to  the  smiling  daughter  of 
Yamanatz. 

An  hour  later  he  had  reached  the  end  of  his  first 
"  look."  Scanning  the  side  of  the  high  divide  he  could 
see  "  Bonito  "  lunging  forward  into  the  deep  drifts 
skirting  the  top  of  the  divide.  Presently  the  pony 
stopped  and  turned  broadside  toward  him.  Looking 
intently  he  saw  Chiquita  wave  a  farewell  response  by 
means  of  a  small  silk  flag  handkerchief  which  he  had 
given  her  upon  the  first  visit  to  Rock  Creek.  Sig 
naling  a  return  salute  by  means  of  his  sombrero,  he 
waited  until  "  Bonito  "  disappeared  into  that  fortress 
of  snow,  knowing  that  once  over  the  crest  ten  minutes 
would  be  sufficient  time  to  make  the  crossing  in  safety. 


THE  CAMP  IN  THE  WILLOWS         109 

As  she  did  not  reappear,  Jack  struck  boldly  into  the 
trail,  which  now  led  him  by  easy  stages  up  toward 
timber  line,  the  dark  rushing  waters  of  the  Grand 
River  hissing  and  seething  far  below  him.  At  the  en 
trance  to  the  canon,  where  the  warmer  current  of  air 
met  the  colder  wave  from  the  snow-covered  mountain 
side,  huge  bristling  bayonets  of  frosted  rye  grass 
waved  their  menacing  blades  at  intruders.  Lattice- 
worked  ramparts  of  ice  and  snow  were  veiled  with 
filmy  curtains  bespangled  with  millions  of  scintillat 
ing  diamonds,  the  congealed  breathings  from  that 
steaming  throat,  through  which  ceaselessly  poured  the 
mountain  torrent  in  its  strenuous  effort  to  join  the 
ocean. 

Jack  looked  wistfully  at  the  scene  and  sighed  that 
a  spectacle  of  such  rare  beauty  could  not  be  shared 
by  his  eastern  friends. 

The  tortuous  trail  often  led  to  the  edge  of  a 
precipice,  where  the  slightest  misstep  of  his  pony 
would  have  hurled  both  beast  and  rider  into  a  fright 
ful  abyss.  At  other  times  the  narrow  pathway 
meandered  serpentine  fashion  between  pine  trees  so 
thickly  interspersed  that  the  pack  would  wedge  first 
on  one  side  and  then  the  other,  to  the  imminent  de 
struction  of  Jack's  belongings. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE    RANCH    ON    THE    TROUBLESOME. 

It  was  pitch  dark  when  Jack  rode  into  the  corral 
at  the  ranch  on  the  Troublesome.  After  unpacking 
and  storing  his  trappings  he  went  over  to  the  ranch 
house.  Several  Ute  ponies  were  in  the  corral.  Their 
presence  puzzled  him,  and  as  he  entered  the  log 
house  what  was  his  surprise  to  find  himself  in  the 
presence  of  Colorow,  Bennett  and  Antelope.  Old 
Tracy,  the  owner  of  the  ranch,  greeted  the  new 
comer  with  a  merry  "How — how — well,  beat  my 
brains  out  with  a  straw  ef  I  tho't  of  a-seeing  you  afore 
spring." 

Bill,  the  fiery  red-whiskered,  red-haired,  red-faced, 
stuttering  Irishman,  ejaculated,  after  a  good  deal  of 
effort,  "  D — d — d — durn  my  p — p — p — pictures ! 
"  G — g — g — glad  t — t — t — to  see  yer."  The  obese, 
low-browed  renegade  Colorow  looked  inquiringly. 
So  did  the  other  Indians  as  Jack  replied  to  both  ranch 
men  : 

"  I  left  Rock  Creek  yesterday  morning  and  crossed 


THE  RANCH  ON  THE  TROUBLESOME  111 

the  Gore  range  today.  The  snow  was  pretty  deep  in 
spots." 

Colorow's  eyes  glittered  as  it  dawned  on  him  that 
the  white  man  Jack  of  Rock  Creek  and  this  man  were 
one  and  the  same.  Jack  did  not  know  any  of  the  trio 
except  Bennett,  neither  of  the  others  having  openly 
visited  the  camp  below.  As  Bennett  rose  up  from  the 
floor  with  a  greeting  he  turned  and  waved  his  hand : 

"  This  Antelope,  this  Colorow." 

Jack  involuntarily  stepped  back  a  pace,  halfway 
starting  his  hand  as  if  to  grasp  his  six-shooter. 
Colorow  saw  the  motion  as  well  as  the  swift,  penetrat 
ing  flash  that  shot  from  Jack's  gray  eyes  into  the  very 
soul  of  the  old  red  devil.  But  the  warrior  never  made 
a  hostile  movement.  The  least  perceptible  smile  crept 
into  his  face  as  he  interpreted  the  telegraphic  glance. 
He  realized  that  Jack  guessed  for  a  certainty  what 
Bennett  and  Antelope  might  guess,  for  Colorow  had 
never  told  any  of  the  Utes  that  he  actually  followed 
Jack,  nor  that  he  waited  in  vain  at  the  mouth  of  the 
long  gulch  for  that  worthy  young  man  to  walk  to  his 
death.  It  was  with  mock  cordiality  that  the  two  men 
acknowledged  each  other's  presence,  but  not  so  with 
Antelope,  who  rose  and  grasped  Jack's  outstretched 
hand.  Antelope  and  Bennett  did  guess  right.  The 
ranchmen  had  seen  the  little  exchange  of  "  symptoms  " 
and  were  at  loss  to  understand  the  purport  thereof, 


112  CHIQUITA 

Nevertheless,  they  had  in  an  instant,  yet  seemingly  in 
a  careless  manner,  lessened  the  distance  between  the 
right  hand  and  the  butt  end  of  their  respective  six- 
shooters,  for  the  frontiersman  is  keen  to  scent  danger. 
Colorow  remained  in  his  chair  and  thus  addressed 
Jack : 

"  Sabe  white  man  Rock  Creek  trail  ?  " 

Jack  nodded  in  reply. 

"  Sabe  camp  where  Utes  sleep?" 

Jack  nodded  again,  holding  up  two  fingers,  signify 
ing  he  had  seen  both  camping  places,  as  the  Utes  had 
not  made  as  rapid  progress  as  he. 

"  Colorow  lose  twelve  ponies,"  counting  them  by 
holding  up  both  hands,  then  two  additional  fingers. 
"  Mebbe  so  white  man  see  'em  ponies?  " 

Jack  shook  liis  head.  The  ponies  had  become  hun 
gry,  broken  away  and  probably  were  hunting  buffalo 
grass  in  the  lower  hills  when  he  was  crossing  the 
higher  slopes  of  the  Gore  range.  A  few  questions  as 
to  the  camp  on  Rock  Creek,  what  disposition  he  had 
made  of  the  camp  property  and  furs,  and  then  the  In 
dians  drew  their  blankets  about  themselves  and  silent 
ly  filed  away  to  the  corral,  where  they  mounted  their 
ponies  and  set  out  for  their  own  camp  in  the  willows, 
some  half  mile  distant.  After  they  had  departed  Tracy 
said  with  a  quizzical  look : 

"  That  old  devil  is  up  to  mischief,"  meaning  Col- 


THE  RANCH  ON  THE  TROUBLESOME  113 

orow.  He  turned  to  Jack,  continuing,  "  Tho't  mebbe 
so  yer  were  goin'  to  plunk  him  fer  a  minnit  thar." 

Bill  chimed  in  :  "I  seen  the  f — f — f — fire  in  yer  eyes 
and  says  to  myself,  it's  all  over  with  Cu — cu — col — 
col — Colorow  at  last,  b — b — b — but  why  in  h — h — 
h — hellen  d — d — d — didn't  yer  shoot?" 

"  Well,"  said  Jack,  just  the  least  regretting  he  had 
not,  "  I  didn't  know  how  much  of  a  '  stink  '  it  would 
raise.  The  Utes  are  getting  pretty  bad,  and  the  whole 
parcel  of  them  might  take  a  notion  to  come  up  here  and 
clean  out  the  Park  before  the  soldiers  could  stop 
them." 

"  What  d'  yer  mean  ?  "  anxiously  asked  both  his  lis 
teners,  with  a  perceptible  blanching  of  their  bronzed 
faces. 

"  Old  Yamanatz  tells  me  things  aren't  going  just 
right  at  the  agency.  Colorow  and  Douglas'  band  of 
renegade  Utes  were  camped  outside  the  reservation, 
two  miles  from  the  cabin  where  the  trapper  and  I  put 
up.  Didn't  the  trapper  tell  you  anything?"  suddenly 
asked  Jack. 

The  ranchmen  looked  curiously  at  one  another,  and 
Tracy  evasively  remarked,  "  Well,  he  didn't  say  much ; 
just  said  he  got  lonesome  and  had  left  the  old  woman 
without  any  wood  an'  allowed  he'd  cut  some  for  her, 
then  he'd  go  back  byme-by." 

"  Yes,  byme-by,"  scornfully  broke  in  Jack,  adding, 


114  CHIQUITA 

with  some  feeling,  "  Between  me  and  the  corral  that 
trapper  is  afraid  of  the  Utes  and  left  me  in  the  lurch." 

Tracy  and  Bill  exchanged  glances,  as  much  as  to 
say,  "  The  tenderfoot  has  got  his  eye-teeth  cut  all 
right."  Bill  spoke  up  as  if  a  sudden  impulse  had  made 
him  forget  the  dangers  that  lurked  in  the  Ute  ques 
tion. 

"  How  about  that  redskin  g — g — gal  ?  Tho't  meb- 
be  so  y — y — yer  hed  jined  in  holy  wedlock  into  the 
Ute  family,"  at  which  both  the  ranchmen  slapped  their 
hands  together  and  laughed  uproariously.  Jack  joined 
in  with  them,  for  he  appreciated  the  gossip  of  ranch 
life,  and  no  sewing  bee  ever  furnished  better  "  stamp 
ing  ground  "  for  wagging  tongues  than  the  frontier 
masculine  brand. 

Bill  set  about  getting  something  to  eat,  and  Jack  had 
a  double-barreled  appetite  stowed  away  under  his  belt. 
The  table,  with  its  marble  oilcloth,  real  stone  china 
plates,  cups,  saucers,  glass  vinegar  cruets  and  a 
molasses  jug,  was  soon  loaded  with  a  big  platter  of 
venison,  a  plate  of  hot  biscuits,  a  pot  of  coffee,  a 
pitcher  of  rich  cream  and  a  crock  of  yellow  butter.  It 
was  nearly  three  months  since  Jack  had  put  his  legs 
under  any  kind  of  a  table  or  seen  anything  the  color  of 
butter  or  cream,  and  it  was  a  treat  that  could  not  have 
been  equaled  in  Delmonico's  to  draw  up  to  that  feast 
with  those  truly  honest  brothers  of  wild  civilization, 


THE  RANCH  ON  THE  TROUBLESOME  115 

partake  of  their  hospitality  and  listen  to  their  straight 
forward  talk,  rich  in  its  omission  of  studied  rhetoric 
or  ponderous  grammatical  phrases ;  no  fear  of  using 
the  wrong  spoon  or  creating  a  social  riot  by  helping 
one's  self  to  a  little  venison  gravy,  even  sopping  the 
bread  in  the  platter.  Etiquette,  frills  and  napkins  had 
to  give  way  to  blunt  speech,  solid,  wholesome  food  and 
a  red  bandanna.  Back  of  it  all,  too,  was  his  famous 
digestion  and  ravenous  appetite,  essential  elements 
that  have  no  co-existence  with  spike-tailed  coats, 
trained  gowns,  "  eye-openers "  and  "  night  caps." 
Jack  had  been  busy,  but  he  slowed  down  long  enough 
to  let  out  his  belt  one  hole.  Bill  had  entertained  in 
the  conversation  direction. 

"  Say,  yer  know  when  yer  shot  the  antelope  and 
Irish  Mike  got  sore  at  it  because  he  missed  the  whole 
bunch?  Well,  old  man  Snyder  come  in  with  his  team 
last  October  after  a  load  of  fish,  and  we  got  up  the  old 
raft  and  dropped  the  net  into  the  bend  of  the  river 
right  there  and  dragged  out  over  a  thousand  fine  suck 
ers  at  one  haul.  We  threw  back  all  under  two  pounds 
and  a  half." 

Jack  broke  in  with  the  remark,  "  Those  red-finned 
suckers  are  most  as  good  as  trout." 

"  Yer  bet  yer  life  they  are,"  chimed  in  Tracy. 

"  Well,"  continued  Bill,  "  the  old  man  and  his  boy 
was  a  watchin'  us  from  the  other  bank,  so  we  hed  to 


116  CHIQUITA 

be  sort  o'  careful  as  we  picked  them  fish  over,  but 
there  was  five  as  pretty  red-throated  trout  clum  up 
my  coat  sleeve  as  ever  yer  laid  eyes  on ;  two  of  'em 
tipped  the  scales  at  five  pounds  apiece.  We  had  trout 
to  eat  fer  a  week.  Gosh  all  humlock,  but  it  was  cold 
work  gettin'  them  suckers  ready.  We  worked  'til  most 
midnight.  They  cleaned  up  about  six  hundred  dollars 
on  the  load.  Sold  'em  in  Georgetown,  Central  City, 
Idaho  Springs — yes,  sir,  clean  down  to  Golden. 
The  first  of  'em  brought  forty  cents  a  pound  in  the  big 
camps,  but  the  last  end  of  'em  went  fer  a  nickel  apiece. 
Down  at  McQueery's  they  got  another  load  for  some 
other  chaps  a  month  after;  pulled  in  over  seventeen 
hundred  fish  at  one  clip,  but  them  fellers  didn't  know 
how  to  peddle  them  out  and  lost  money  by  shippin' 
'em  to  Denver." 

"  How's  the  stock,  Tracy?  "  inquired  Jack. 

"  Doin'  tiptop ;  we've  got  about  one  hundred  and 
twenty  head  of  horses  winterin'  now.  Mike  brought 
in  a  lot  of  forty  soon  after  you  went  down  trappin'. 
I  keep  a  good  watch  on  them  haystacks  this  year  to  see 
that  the  snowflakes  don't  strike  fire  again.  They 
burned  up  a  couple  years  ago  when  I  hed  thirty  ton 
of  as  fine  hay  as  they  ever  get  in  this  yere  Park.  I  had 
all  the  stock  that  was  bein'  wintered,  and  some  of  the 
other  fellows  up  the  river  had  hay  but  no  stock.  The 
range  had  closed,  so  they  had  no  chans't  to  get  any 


THE  RANCH  ON  THE  TROUBLESOME  117 

stock.  Well,  my  hay  ketched  fire  and,  of  course,  I 
wouldn't  see  them  horses  starve,  so  I  had  to  buy  them 
fellers'  hay.  A  good  ba'r  trap  would  have  ketched 
something  besides  ba'r  that  winter  if  I  had  set  a  few 
out.  While  I'm  tendin'  to  the  corral  Bill  will  tell  you 
about  that  hole  in  the  door  frame,"  pointing  to  a 
badly  mangled  orifice  about  as  big  as  an  orange. 

"  Shotgun  ?  "  queried  Jack. 

"  Yes,"  said  Bill ;  "  shotgun — kingdom  cum,"  and 
he  had  to  straighten  out  his  vocal  impediments  and  tell 
it  slowly,  although  it  was  a  hard  task  for  him,  and  his 
red  whiskers  and  hair  would  rise  up  in  their  wrath, 
seemingly,  as  he  stuttered  along: 

"  Yer  see,  Dick  Bradner  came  along  one  day  over 
from  Rattlesnake,  and  said  he  wanted  a  good  jack- 
rabbit  shoot.  The  snow  was  just  right  and  he  was 
gone  all  afternoon.  He  got  half  a  wagonload,  I  guess. 
Along  about  dark  he  steps  in  on  the  way  to  the  corral 
and  sets  his  gun  up  aside  the  fireplace  with  the  other 
guns.  I  was  just  beginning  to  get  grub  and  had  a 
pan  of  flour  mixin'  up  some  sour-dough  bread,  the 
lamp  standin'  in  front  of  the  pan  and  me  at  the  other 
end  of  the  table  from  the  door  frame.  I  was  puttin' 
in  some  good  licks  on  that  bread,  for  sour  dough  needs 
a  lot  of  punchin',  and  guess  I  had  my  head  leanin'  out 
pretty  well  toward  the  door.  I  heard  some  one  step 
in  from  the  outside,  but  didn't  look  up  to  see  who  it 


118  CHIQUITA 

was,  when  there  came  a  flash,  and  kingdom  cum,  I 
thought  my  head  had  caved  in.  The  splinters  flew 
into  the  bread  and  the  powder  smoke  choked  me  clean 
up.  All  I  could  see  was  that  crazy  fool  Irish  Mike, 
his  face  as  white  as  it  will  be  when  he's  gone  over  the 
range,  standin'  there  with  Dick's  gun  pintin'  to  the 
roof.  That  idjit  never  sees  a  new  gun  standin'  round 
but  he  must  pull  it  up  and  aim  it  at  somethin'.  You 
know  how  he  shoots.  Dick  must  have  left  the  gun  at 
full  cock,  as  he  allus  does.  It  was  lucky  it  went  off 
before  he  got  the  barrel  on  a  level  with  the  lamp,  or 
we'd  all  been  in  kingdom  cum." 

"  You  got  some  of  the  powder  in  your  face,"  re 
marked  Jack,  noticing  the  blue  pits  sprinkled  here 
and  there  in  Bill's  forehead. 

"  Yes,"  said  Bill,  energetically,  with  several  pow 
der-burned  adjectives;  "  he  leaves  his  mark  every 
where  he  goes.  Pity  the  foolkiller  don't  git  him." 

Tracy  had  joined  the  party  again  just  in  time  to 
hear  Bill's  bouquet  of  choice  epithets. 

"  Tain't  so  much  coz  he  means  to  do  anything 
harmin',  but  the  big  brute  is  so  allfired  strong  and 
clumsy  that  when  he  sets  out  to  do  anything  he  busts 
everything  he  teches.  Why,  he  went  to  pitchin'  hay 
off  the  far  stack  and  must  have  thought  the  fork  handle 
would  hold  up  the  whole  five  ton,  fer  he  Snapped  it  like 
a  ginger  cake  just  outen  the  oven.  Then  he  was 


THE  RANCH  ON  THE  TROUBLESOME  119 

helpin'  put  up  logs  on  the  barn.  We  had  the  top  logs 
most  up  on  the  skids  when  she  fetched  up  again' 
the  cross  log  that  the  skid  was  leanin'  again'.  He 
reaches  the  ax  up  and  sets  the  blade  under  the  log 
and  pulls  on  the  handle,  and  away  went  my  dollar- 
and-a-half  handle.  He  broke  it  square  off.  Took  me 
nigh  onto  a  week  to  dress  another  out.  But  he's  a  good 
worker.  All  he  needs  is  a  sledge  and  a  big  enough 
drill  so  he  won't  miss  the  head  on't  and  he  can  pound 
that  'til  jedgment  day  if  the  feller  turnin'  the  drill 
keeps  a  good  lookout  for  his  hand  from  bein'  hit  when 
the  Irishman  misses  the  drill." 

"  I  see  he  left  his  rifle,"  remarked  Jack. 

"  Yes ;  said  he  didn't  want  it  at  the  mines,  an'  he 
allows  he'll  come  back  afore  the  range  opens  to  pick 
out  a  hundred  and  sixty  acres  somewhere  in  the  Park. 
Likely  as  not  he'll  see  you  in  Georgetown,  but  yer  got 
some  snow  climbin'  to  do.  Thar  ain't  many  goin'  out 
now,  and  I  heerd  Bill  Redmon  say  he'd  have  to  use 
'  skis  '  pretty  soon  and  drag  the  mail  on  a  sled.  When 
yer  goin'  out  ?  " 

Jack  thought  a  minute  or  two  and  then  replied : 

"  I  guess  I  can  make  it  day  after  tomorrow.  That 
will  be  the  I7th  of  January,  and  I  guess  '  Red  '  will 
bring  the  pony  back  and  you  can  feed  both  of  them  for 
me.  By  the  way,  I  guess  I'll  have  to  snowshoe  it  in 
about  beaver-trappin'  time.  I've  got  a  little  business 
myself  down  near  the  agency." 


120  CH1QU1  r.\ 

Tracy  and  Bill  eyed  each  other  qui/./u-ally  and  tried 
to  guess  the  mission,  but  Jack  gave  them  no  sat  is  far 
tion. 

"  I'll  be  back  here  by  the  middle  of  April,  if  not  bo- 
fore.  Beaver  begin  to  chew  the  trees  down  in  early 
March,  don't  they?" 

"  Yes,"  said  Tracy ;  "  but  it  gets  lonesome  as  all 
git  out  before  Aprile.  If  yer  comin'  in  that  soon,  \\hv 
in  Christmas  don't  yer  stay  now?  We've  got  j;rnb 
enough  and  we  can  go  back  in  the  timber,  mebbe  so, 
and  ketch  a  grizzly  or  cinnamon  about  six  weeks  from 
now." 

"  No ;  can't  do  it.  Got  to  go  back  to  the  States  and 
attend  to  some  business,  sure.  You  can  have  all  the 
grizzlies  that  are  loose.  By  the  way,  you  got  that  sil 
ver  tip  since  I  left." 

Jack  was  admiring  a  fine  skin  that  was  nailed  up 
on  the  inside  of  the  cabin,  taking  up  the  greater  por 
tion  of  a  wall  ten  feet  long  and  eight  feet  high. 

"  We  got  that  out  on  the  Blue  about  four  weeks 
ago.  I  shot  him  eleven  times  afore  he  quit  bein' 
sassy,"  said  Tracy,  with  little  or  no  concern,  as  if 
killing  a  grizzly  was  on  a  par  with  breaking  a  broncho. 
"  I'll  get  twenty-five  dollars  for  that  pelt  in  the  sum 
mer  if  I  take  it  to  Denver." 

With  the  dishes  cleared  away  and  everything  in 
readiness  for  the  night,  Jack,  Tracv  and  Hill  sat 


THE  RANCH  ON  THE  TROUBLESOME  121 

around  the  liivplare  smoking  their  pipes.  The  pine 
knots  sputtered  and  glistened  with  deep,  red-inflamed 
eyes  as  Jack  told  of  the  Rock  Creek  pow-wows. 

"  You  see,  old  man  Meeker  has  been  trying  to  teach 
the  Utes  how  to  plow,  how  to  subtract  and  divide  and 
to  carry  wood,  while  the  squaws  crochet,  hemstitch 
and  make  sofa  pillows." 

"  Yes,  I  see  them  redskin  devils  tote  firewood," 
broke  in  Tracy.  "  If  there's  anything  an  Indian  de 
spises  it's  work.  They  won't  even  walk  when  the  snow 
is  belly  deep.  I've  seen  six  of  'em  on  one  little  cayuse 
wallcrin'  through  big  drifts  at  timber  line.  Why, 
durn  their  pictures,  a  Ute  won't  cook  if  he  can  beg  a 
bite  anywhere,  let  alone  plow,  and  he'll  freeze  to  death 
afore  gcttin'  wood  for  a  fire  if  thar's  a  squaw  within  a 
mile  to  git  it  fur  him.  The  trapper  told  us  you  would 
git  yer  fill  of  Injuns." 

Hill  crossed  his  legs  and  then  uncrossed  them  again, 
knocked  the  ashes  out  of  his  pipe,  and  his  neck  began 
to  swell.  He  wanted  to  say  something  right  bad. 
Pulling  a  string  off  his  buckskin  pants  leg,  he  com 
menced  tying  it  into  knots,  nervously  lingering  the 
ends. 

'  Them  gol  durned  skule  teachers  is  all  right  back 
in  the  old  red  skule-house  in — in  Missouri,"  he  said, 
"  but  kingdom  cum,  when  they  try  to  make  them 
blanket  Injuns  plow  it's  time  fur  white  folks  in  Mid- 


122  CHIQUITA 

die  Park  to  put  up  a  stockade  and  lay  in  lots  of  45~9o's 
for  Sharp's  old  reliable,  and  a  dozen  or  two  Colts' 
frontier  sixes.  Them's  my  sentiments,  and  don't  yer 
ferget  it." 

"  Bill  hit  the  nail  on  the  head,"  echoed  Tracy. 

Jack  was  studying  the  red,  gleaming  eyes  of  the 
pine  knots,  and  the  moccasin  prints  in  the  snow  on 
the  high  divide  seemed  to  gather  again  in  the  ashes. 
He  started  suddenly,  as  if  an  inspiration  struck  him. 

"  Boys,  it  will  come  to  it.  That  bunch  down  in  the 
willows  have  been  off  the  reservation  a  long  time. 
Meeker  can't  get  them  back  without  a  regiment  of  sol 
diers,  and  he  hasn't  got  along  that  far  yet.  Susan  is  the 
'  woman  in  the  case,'  and  she's  putting  the  young 
bucks  into  a  trance  about  encroaching  white  folks, 
while  the  old  fighters,  like  Colorow  and  Douglas, 
sneak  up  behind  and  pat  her  on  the  back.  Ignacio, 
Yamanatz — not  even  old  Ouray — can  stop  them  if  they 
once  get  a  supply  of  powder  and  lead.  Wait  until 
the  next  annuities  are  paid  in  and  Uncle  Sam  will  have 
to  send  a  burying  squad  over  there.  They  will  not  do 
anything  for  some  time ;  they  haven't  any  meat,  no 
bullets  to  kill  deer  with,  not  even  salt."  Jack  stopped 
for  a  breath  and  Tracy  took  up  the  conversation. 

"  I  seen  yer  was  good  and  strong  agin'  Colorow 
when  yer  found  out  he  was  here,  but  I  didn't  know 
it  was  that  bad.  'Peers  to  me  yer  must  have  had 
a  grudge  agin'  him  wuss'n  yer  hev  let  on." 


THE  RANCH  ON  THE  TROUBLESOME  123 

"  Yes,"  echoed  Bill,  "  s — s — sumthin'  must  a  s — 
s — set  yer  afire  down  below." 

"Well,  Bill  and  Tracy,  that  old  scalp-lifter  fol 
lowed  me  like  a  shadow  for  two  days,  ready  at  any 
moment,  if  chance  presented,  to  plant  the  steel  in  a 
spot  where  it  would  take,  as  they  say  when  you  are 
vaccinated." 

The  frontiersmen  both  jumped  to  their  feet  with  one 
impulse  to  get  hold  of  their  "  Sharps,"  as  if  to  use 
them  at  once.  Thus  does  habit  breed  in  that  rugged 
life.  Then  they  sat  down  and  listened  to  the  rest  of 
the  story  wherein  Jack  told  of  Yamanatz's  warnings, 
of  young  Colorow's  early  mission  to  see  if  white  man 
Jack  was  in  his  camp.  But  he  left  the  most  interesting 
story  until  the  last,  then  mentioned  no  names,  "And 
who  do  you  suppose  followed  Colorow  to  see  that  no 
harm  came  to  me  ?  " 

Bill  and  Tracy  guessed  every  Ute  in  the  White 
River  Reservation.  Finally  Jack  said : 

"  The  only  one  that  Susan  fears." 

"  Chiquita !  "  exclaimed  Bill  and  Tracy,  in  one 
voice. 

"  The  same,"  said  Jack. 

"  Holy  smoke  !     Kingdum  cum  !  " 

''  Yes,  the  fairest  Indian  girl  that  ever  drew 
breath." 

"  Or  ever  strung  a  bow,"  chimed  Bill. 

"  Or  beaded  a  moccasin,"  said  Tracy. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

CHIQUITA   WOOED   BY   ANTELOPE. 

Dozens  of  tepee  fires  flickered  against  the  dark  night 
pall  as  Chiquita  made  her  way  toward  the  Ute  vil 
lage.  The  tongues  of  dozens  of  Indian  dogs  snarled 
their  yippi-yappy  language  at  each  other,  at  imaginary 
evils  and  at  the  resounding  clatter  of  hoofs  as  her  pony 
loped  along  through  the  sage-covered  mesa  which 
skirted  the  river  bank.  Old  bucks,  warriors  with  neck 
laces  of  cruel-looking  claws  and  beaded  breast  plates 
decorated  with  strands  of  human  hair  woven  into 
pendants,  stood  in  the  shadow  of  the  tepee  fires.  Shrill 
cries  of  hungry  papooses  rent  the  air;  guttural  jargon 
of  young  bucks  in  animated  conversation  rasped 
ominously  against  the  sensitive  ear  with  words  which 
only  an  Indian  can  pronounce,  made  up  as  they  are 
from  Mexican,  Spanish  and  Indian  dialect. 

Old  squaws  tottered  into  camp,  loaded  with  bundles 
of  fagots  gathered  from  the  fallen  timber,  and  as 
these  old  witches  with  thrice-wrinkled  faces  peered 
into  the  gloom  and  discerned  Chiquita  astride 
"  Bonito  "  they  spitefully  threw  an  armful  of  new 


CHIQUITA  WOOED  BY  ANTELOPE    125 

wood  into  the  fire,  raising  a  cloud  of  tiny  sparks,  and 
mutterings,  half  welcome  and  half  imprecation, 
greeted  her ;  all  cringed  before  that  dauntless  maiden, 
yet  all  would  have  been  glad  to  see  her  the  victim  of 
some  tragedy.  Her  word  was  law,  and  that  law  a 
restraining  influence  which  had  thus  far  protected  the 
settlers,  the  hunters,  the  trappers  and  the  white  men 
and  women  who  composed  the  agent's  family  on  the 
reservation,  so  far  from  the  habitation  of  white  men 
and  so  far  from  the  protecting  arm  of  the  United 
States  military. 

Old  Hutch-a-ma-Chuck  was  bedecked  with  a  gro 
tesque  war  bonnet  of  eagles'  feathers,  from  the  tips 
of  which  hung  Arapahoe  scalp  locks;  a  necklace  of 
grizzly  claws  surrounded  his  wrinkled  neck,  and  in 
his  arms  he  carried  a  worn-out  army  carbine,  which 
had  not  been  loaded  in  ten  years.  Uncas,  wrapped  in 
a  military  coat  made  from  a  United  .States  blanket, 
stood  with  a  big  frontier  six-shooter  hanging  listlessly 
from  his  arm,  but  his  eyes  snapped  viciously  as  he 
smiled  a  welcome  to  Chiquita,  the  smile  retreating  into 
an  ambuscade  of  wrinkles  which  seemed  to  say,  "Wait 
until  I  get  a  good  chance."  Broken  Nose,  with  head 
encircled  half  a  dozen  times  with  the  skins  of  rattle 
snakes,  needed  no  placard  to  warn  the  stranger  against 
encroaching  on  this  Indian's  domain.  Bowlegs,  the 
dandy  of  the  camp,  was  regal  in  a  red-lined  vest  which 


126  CHIQUITA 

he  wore  lining  outside,  and  an  old  plug  hat  picked  up 
at  the  Agency  or  at.  some  frontier  town,  ornamented 
with  shipping  tags  and  express  labels,  was  jauntily 
tipped  on  one  side  of  his  head,  while  a  gaudy  plaid 
shirt  flapped  literally  in  the  breezes,  for  an  Indian 
knows  not  of  decrees  of  fashion  regarding  shirtology 
and  could  not  be  induced  to  confine  the  biggest  part 
of  that  splendid  garment  from  view. 

Nearly  every  Indian  had  some  cast-off  garment 
which  had  served  its  mission  for  a  white  man.  Hunt 
ers,  freighters,  army  men,  etc.,  contributed  old  socks, 
trousers,  coats,  gloves,  hats,  caps,  and  even  women 
helped  bedeck  these  children  of  the  forest  in  the  glory 
clothes,  but  the  "  medicine  "  each  and  every  one  pos 
sessed  was  of  the  same  general  character — otter, 
beaver  and  mountain  lion  skins  woven  into  the  hair, 
constituting  a  charm  to  scare  away  evil  spirits. 

Yamanatz  was  by  the  camp  fire  of  his  tepee  as  Chi- 
quita  threw  herself  from  the  back  of  "  Bonito."  There 
were  no  impulsive  greetings,  merely  a  question  or 
two,  and  Chiquita  disappeared  in  the  gloom  of  the 
night  to  her  lodge,  to  dream  of  other  scenes  and  to 
allow  her  imagination  to  carry  her  to  the  abode  of  the 
white  man's  medicine  houses,  where  nurses  comforted 
the  maimed  and  sick. 

In  a  couple  of  weeks  the  absent  Utes  returned, 
bringing  provisions  to  last  for  some  time,  but  these 


CHIQUITA  WOOED  BY  ANTELOPE     127 

did  not  abate  the  surly  looks  or  conduct  of  the  older 
ones,  who  chafed  at  the  escape  of  Jack,  nor  assuage 
the  enmity  which  the  younger  bucks  bore  him  when 
they  learned  that  Chiquita  piloted  him  safely 
over  the  divide.  They  dared  not  openly  deride  her  as 
they  gathered  in  council  to  plan  the  breaking  up  of 
reforms  which  the  government  anticipated  at  the 
hands  of  the  agent  at  White  River. 

They  rebelled  against  cultivating  the  ground.  They 
ridiculed  the  proposition  of  a  Ute  warrior  at  the  plow, 
and  muttered  imprecations  on  the  heads  of  the  In 
dian  Department. 

About  a  month  after  Jack  had  left  his  camp  at  Rock 
Creek,  Susan  arrived  at  the  village  accompanied  by 
her  father,  big  chief  Red  Plume  and  a  dozen  young 
bucks,  all  eager  to  drive  the  whites  over  the  range 
and  out  of  Middle  Park.  But  of  these,  half  of  them 
were  desirous  of  annihilating  the  pale  faces,  simply 
to  gain  Susan's  favor.  The  other  half  were  striving 
to  win  Chiquita,  and  Susan  was  jealous  of  Chiquita 
to  a  marked  degree,  while  Chiquita  cared  naught  for 
Susan  nor  any  of  Susan's  admirers.  Susan,  of  course, 
had  learned  of  the  perilous  trip  of  Chiquita,  and  every 
Indian  youth  had  a  deep  admiration  for  Chiquita  that 
Susan  never  received. 

Red  Plume  had  left  the  Agency  to  personally  visit 
Colorow's  village,  and  endeavor  to  obtain  that  surly 


128  CHIQUITA 

old  monster's  consent  to  move  the  village  back  to 
White  River,  as  agent  Meeker  had  requested.  Upon 
one  pretext  and  another  Colorow  delayed  the  matter 
day  after  day.  In  the  meantime  Susan  was  taunting 
Chiquita  and  Chiquita's  admirers,  while  spurring  her 
own  suitors  to  acts  of  violence.  This  was  not  done 
openly,  as  Indian  maidens  do  not  take  part  in  matters 
of  love  or  war,  in  person,  unless  the  circumstances  are 
very  pronounced.  Susan  felt  that  it  was  equal  to  the 
crime  of  elopement  for  Chiquita  to  escort  the  white 
man  over  the  divide,  and  could  she  have  had  her  way 
Chiquita  would  have  been  burned  at  the  stake  the 
morning  following  her  return  to  the  village,  for  this 
is  the  penalty  inflicted  when  the  maiden  eloping  is  the 
daughter  of  a  chief.  Susan  was  particularly  partial 
to  Antelope  and  never  tired  of  singing  his  praises, 
but  Antelope  had  no  eyes  or  ears  for  any  one  except 
Chiquita.  Many  a  haunch  of  venison  had  this  hand 
some  young  savage  laid  at  the  lodge  door  of  Chiqui 
ta's  mother,  and  handsome  lion  skins,  eagle  plumes 
and  strings  of  elk  teeth  had  he  presented  to  Yama- 
natz  in  his  effort  to  win  Chiquita. 

As  the  moon  rode  high  in  the  heavens,  throwing 
long  shafts  of  silvery  light  through  the  pine  boughs, 
and  casting  deep  shadows  across  the  rushing  waters 
of  Toponas  creek,  Chiquita  was  wont  to  wend  her 
way  along  the  needle  carpeted  bank,  her  red  lips 


CHIQUITA  WOOED  BY  ANTELOPE     129 

firmly  compressed,  while  her  eyes  appealed  to  the 
heavens  above  for  the  return  of  spring  and  Jack.  As 
she  wandered  here  Antelope  watched  her  from  the 
sheltering  shadow  of  some  great  rock,  and  chanted 
love  songs  in  hopes  of  obtaining  the  least  little  recog 
nition  from  her,  for  the  Indian  must  win  his  bride  by 
feats  of  strength,  conquest  or  purchase,  and  not  by 
personal  servitude,  as  does  his  white  brother,  and  his 
wooing  must  be  indirect  unless  the  maiden  vouch 
safes  him  the  pleasure  of  a  meeting  in  some  glen  or 
dell,  where  a  few  words  may  be  spoken;  but  she  re 
serves  the  right  of  making  first  advances  or  indicating 
by  some  sign  that  her  suitor  may  address  her,  and  if 
especially  desired  by  her  she  will  leave  a  token  in  the 
shape  of  a  flower,  spruce  branch,  or  rabbit's  foot 
where  the  lover  may  see  it  and  heed  the  invitation. 

Chiquita  knew  that  the  young  warriors  would  even 
tually  precipitate  a  clash,  which  might  occur  when 
Jack  was  coming  or  going  from  the  reservation. 
She  grew  sick  at  heart  when  she  reviewed  the  actions 
of  Colorow,  and  how  certain  it  was  that  Jack's  life 
had  been  in  peril,  and  always  would  be  whenever  he 
visited  the  Ute  camps.  She  determined  to  stop  the 
agitation  which  Susan  was  fomenting,  or  at  least  get 
assurance  in  some  way  that  no  overt  act  would  be 
committed  until  after  she  and  Yamanatz  should  be 
far  away  towards  the  "  Blazing-Eye-by-the-Big 
Water." 


130  CHIQUITA 

The  new  grass  was  beginning  to  show  itself 
along  the  creek.  Mountain  crocuses  bloomed  in  the 
edge  of  the  fast  melting  snow,  as  the  white  blanket 
gradually  receded  towards  the  tops  of  the  high  peaks 
under  the  heat  of  the  early  spring  sun.  Chiquita 
watched  the  beaver  dams  as  the  inhabitants  industri 
ously  fashioned  new  homes  for  the  next  winter,  cut 
ting  down  the  big  trees  and  laying  in  a  supply  of 
willows  for  food  and  comfort.  She  looked  toward 
the  sun  as  he  peered  down  into  the  deep  canons  and 
besought  the  sun  god  to  hurry  Jack  upon  his  way. 

It  was  near  midday,  and  Chiquita  sat  in  a  little 
grove  of  piiions,  watching  the  splashing  waters  and 
gleaming  flash  of  a  trout  darting  hither  and  thither 
for  a  morsel  as  it  swept  along  in  the  vicious,  turbulent 
stream.  She  had  hung  a  branch  of  spruce  buds,  en 
twined  with  a  vine  of  Kilikinnick,  upon  a  convenient 
tree,  and  she  knew  that  it  would  bring  Antelope  to 
her.  She  knew  the  symbol  by  him  would  be  inter 
preted,  "  hope  in  peace,"  but  she  intended  that  his 
hope  must  result  in  peace.  As  she  listened  she  heard 
a  voice  close  beside  her.  She  had  felt  for  some  time 
the  forest  intuition  that  some  one  was  approaching, 
but  so  silently  had  those  footsteps  glided  along  that 
no  sound  gave  any  warning. 

"  The  daughter  of  Yamanatz  is  fair  as  the  morning 
dove,  and  it  pleases  Antelope  to  do  her  bidding,  for  is 


CHIQUITA  WOOED  BY  ANTELOPE     131 

not  Antelope  a  suitor  for  the  hand  of  Chiquita,  and 
has  not  Antelope  done  many  things  that  make  him 
worthy  of  the  great  chief's  daughter?" 

"  The  son  of  Big  Buffalo  stands  erect.  He  speaks 
with  the  tongue  of  one  who  is  a  master,  one  day  to  be 
chief.  Antelope  is  brave  and  his  prowess  great 
enough  to  entitle  him  to  the  daughter  of  any  chief." 

"  The  daughter  of  Yamanatz  is  as  good  as  she  is 
fair  in  that  she  speaks  of  Antelope  in  this  wise,  and  it 
is  a  pleasure  that  the  eyes  of  Antelope  go  thirsty  and 
his  heart  hungry  for  the  return  of  the  love  which  Chi 
quita  can  give.  It  would  be  for  Chiquita  that  Antelope 
would  build  the  signal  fires,  that  the  Utes  may  put  on 
their  war  paint  and  sharpen  their  hatchets  to  take 
the  land  where  were  the  great  buffalo  before  the  pale 
face  drove  them  into  the  deep  sea  where  the  sun  goes 
down,  and  when  the  paleface  has  been  driven  away, 
then  Antelope  will  claim  Chiquita  that  she  may  sing 
him  songs  of  love  by  his  camp  fire.  And  when  An 
telope  is  big  chief  then  Chiquita  will  be  the  mother 
of  many  tribes,  and  our  people  will  again  hunt  the 
buffalo  which  shall  be  as  the  needles  in  the  pine  forest, 
and  no  more  shall  the  white  man  drive  the  noble  Ute 
away  from  the  paradise  the  Great  Spirit  has  made  for 
them.  Hear  me,  daughter  whose  breath  is  as  the  per 
fume  of  the  trailing  arbutus  and  whose  voice  is  like 
the  voice  of  the  lark.  It  is  Antelope  who  speaks." 


132  CHIQUITA 

"  The  son  of  Big  Buffalo  is  as  brave  as  the  wild 
horse  who  leads  his  herd  to  drink  of  the  waters  of  the 
deep  cavern,  but  know  this,  that  in  the  sky  Chiquita 
reads  of  deeds  done  by  her  white  sisters  who  teach 
the  little  paleface  to  say  'Our  Father,'  and  she  hears 
the  song  of  spirits  from  another  land,  as  they  sing 
'  peace  on  earth,  good  will  to  man/  The  great  Ante 
lope  is  not  a  hen  to  cackle  and  run  away  at  the  sight 
of  danger.  He  is  brave  but  sees  not  that  Chiquita 
thinks  not  of  deeds  of  battle,  nor  the  mighty  buffalo, 
which  the  great  Antelope  says  will  return.  It  grieves 
Chiquita  that  the  hand  of  the  white  man  on  the  throt 
tle  of  the  great  iron  horse  is  driving  our  people  back, 
back  into  the  deep  sea  where  have  plunged  the  buffalo, 
and  in  their  trail  are  the  cities  where  the  white  chil 
dren  are  taught  that  the  red  faced  Ute  is  a  dog,  a  coy 
ote  that  snarls  and  bites  and  like  the  owl  that  goes 
hoo!  oo-oo-oo-hoo !  The  paleface  has  widened  the 
trail  from  the  great  ocean  by  the  rising  sun  to  the 
mountain,  to  the  big  water  where  the  sun  again 
quenches  his  thirst.  The  paleface  has  spread  out 
as  the  wings  of  an  eagle  until  the  lands  are  gone.  The 
smoke  rises  from  the  tall  stacks  and  long  ago  have  we 
been  forgotten  by  the  old  Ute  warriors  who  have 
passed  into  the  great  Happy  Hunting  Ground,  there 
to  live  on  pots  of  savory  flesh  while  we  slave  in  the 
sage  brush  or  eat  army  rations  and  wear  army  blank- 


ANTELOPE,  THE   WARRIOR,   1877, 


CHIQUITA  WOOED  BY  ANTELOPE     133 

ets,  which  are  brought  to  us  on  the  cars.  This  is 
civilization  and  it  is  so  that  Chiquita  is  to  learn  what 
her  white  sister  does  in  civilization,  and  Antelope  is 
asked  to  be  patient  and  wait  for  Chiquita  while  she 
may  see  the  fair  sister  unto  the  end.  Then  if  Chiquita 
cares  not  for  the  civilized  life,  she  will  sit  by  the  camp 
fire  and  sing  to  Antelope  and  Antelope  may  caress 
Chiquita  and  she  will  be  his  wife." 

"  Chiquita  has  spoken,  Antelope  will  wait,  but  the 
heart  of  Antelope  is  sad,  for  it  will  be  many  snows 
ere  Chiquita  will  make  glad  the  lodge  of  Antelope 
and  he  will  then  be  an  old  man,"  replied  the  Indian 
buck. 

"  It  may  not  be  so  long.  Antelope  must  not  make 
war  upon  the  white  man.  Antelope  must  stay  the 
hands  of  the  warlike  Utes  who  seek  the  lives  of  Chi- 
quita's  friend  and  his  brothers.  The  warriors  of 
the  Utes  must  not  molest  these  people  and  it  is  Ante 
lope  who  must  obey  Chiquita  in  this.  Hear  not  what 
Susan  says  and  all  will  be  well." 

"  Antelope  hears  the  words  of  Chiquita.  Antelope 
will  see  that  no  harm  comes  to  the  friends  of  Chi 
quita,  nor  to  the  white  man's  brethren.  Antelope 
cares  not  for  Susan.  Antelope  hears  not  her  words, 
which  are  cunning,  but  hears  only  Chiquita,  the  flower 
of  the  Utes." 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

A    GLIMPSE    OF    HOME. 

Jack  hastened  his  departure  from  the  ranch  on  the 
Troublesome,  stopping  at  Hot  Sulphur  Springs  one 
night,  crossing  the  Berthoud  pass,  early  in  the 
day,  again  righting  snow  drifts  as  big  as  houses, 
as  he  skirted  around  and  over  the  great  continental 
divide  but  a  little  distance  from  the  summit  of  cheer 
less  Gray's  Peak  buried  in  her  white  mantle.  Leav 
ing  his  pony  at  Georgetown  for  the  mail  carrier  to 
lead  back,  he  continued  his  journey  by  rail  to  Denver 
and  from  there  eastward  to  his  home.  Jack  dearly 
loved  his  New  England  home  and,  as  the  old  scenes 
again  appeared  before  him,  he  saw  new  beauties  to 
enchant  and  impress  him.  His  mother,  sister  and 
sweetheart  were  all  on  the  veranda  of  the  grand  man 
sion,  and,  as  he  jumped  from  the  carriage,  he  found 
himself  attacked  by  a  center  rush  such  as  no  college 
boy  ever  before  struck.  At  least  five  touch  downs 
were  scored  before  they  broke  away. 

"  Did  you  bring  any  Indian  things  ?"  all  demanded 
in  a  chorus. 


A  GLIMPSE  OF  HOME  135 

"  I  say  Jack,"  said  Hazel,  "  where  is  the  pony  you 
promised  me?" 

"I  want  those  eagle  plumes  for  my  hat,"  said  one 
of  his  sisters.  Even  his  mother  could  not  resist  the 
avalanche  of  wants  and,  during  an  opportune  lull, 
archly  asked  if  there  was  any  danger  of  her  having 
to  give  up  the  "  spare  room  "  to  an  Indian  daughter- 
in-law,  which  of  course  produced  a  laugh  at  the  ex 
pense  of  Hazel. 

With  the  first  greetings  over,  Jack  at  last  got  his 
mother  and  father  alone,  and  plunged  into  the  subject 
uppermost  in  his  mind. 

"  My  son,"  his  mother  commented,  "  be  cautious  re 
garding  your  actions  with  this  heathen  daughter  of 
the  wilderness.  You  can  not  tell  what  kind  of  an  am 
bush  she  may  lead  you  into.  Fancy  Hazel  trotting 
about  educating  one  of  the  young  warriors !" 

This  was  logic  with  a  vengeance.  Even  Jack  could 
not  gainsay  it.  It  was  the  same  old  proposition 
of  woman's  prerogative  to  outdo  a  man.  Jack  pon 
dered  over  the  trip  from  the  Ute  village  across  the  di 
vide  and  the  night  camp  in  the  willows.  He  looked 
a  little  sheepish  and  waited  in  discreet  silence. 

"  Is  it  necessary,  Jack,"  asked  his  father,  "  that  you 
should  go  to  this  unheard-of  mine  with  the  old  In 
dian  ?  Why  not  let  him  go  and  return  with  the  treas 
ure  alone  as  he  has  done  before?" 


136  CHIQUITA 

"  He  is  too  old  to  attempt  the  journey  and  it  is  his 
desire  that  Chiquita  be  one  of  the  party,  as  he  will 
give  the  mine  to  her  and  myself  equally,"  answered 
Jack,  not  at  all  assured  that  the  reply  would  make 
matters  any  better. 

"  Have  you  such  an  unbounded  faith  in  a  crafty 
Indian  as  to  believe  that  he  knows  of  any  such  fabu 
lous  treasure  that  even  a  nation  might  send  an  army 
to  snatch  away  from  its  rightful  owners,  and  that  he 
will  lead  you  to  this  mine  simply  to  reward  you  for 
standing  as  press  agent  for  his  equally  crafty  daugh 
ter?" 

Jack  saw  that  his  father  was  beginning  to  tread 
upon  dangerous  ground,  that  it  would  take  but  little 
to  cause  an  unpleasant  scene  unless  he  could  over 
come  the  prejudice  now  gaining  ground  with  his 
parents.  He  keenly  felt  the  implied  lack  of  confidence 
which  both  displayed,  and  for  a  moment  he  was  in 
clined  to  become  a  trifle  skeptical  himself,  but  he 
quickly  reasoned,  "If  I  show  any  weakening  they 
will  hammer  all  the  harder." 

"  Father,"  he  slowly  began,  "  and  mother,  you  are 
both  ripe  in  the  experience  of  this  world,  with  the  civ 
ilized  method  of  taking  from  the  untutored  forest 
man  his  hunting  ground,  his  home,  by  the  simple  pro 
cess  of  a  representation  from  each  state  of  a  govern 
ment  ;  a  proposition  is  voted  upon  to  drive  this  native 


A  GLIMPSE  OF  HOME  137 

farther  and  farther  toward  the  setting  sun,  farther 
and  farther  back,  until  now  he  lives  in  a  barren  coun 
try,  his  larder  empty  and  his  proud  mien  broken.  The 
remnant  of  former  greatness  drooped  to  a  low  ebb 
of  cunning,  outmatched  only  by  the  cunning  of  the 
frontier  statesman,  backed  by  the  grasping  political 
land-grabber  and  office-holding  despot  bidding  for 
votes — these  jackals  whose  blighting  breath  corrupt 
juries,  legislatures  and  even  the  church  into  a  belief 
that  it  is  justice  to  waylay  the  child  of  nature  in  the 
onward  march  of  civilization,  to  wrest  from  him  the 
land  which  God  gave  as  an  heritage.  Yes,  father,  I 
have  unbounded  faith  in  Yamanatz  that  he  can  and 
will  show  me  the  greatest  mass  of  gold  in  one  mine 
ever  uncovered  by  the  hand  of  man.  I  will  forestall 
you  as  to  finance.  See,  in  this  pouch  is  some  twenty 
pounds  of  gold  dust,  which  the  great  chief  gave  me 
for  '  pin  money,'  and  in  the  strong  box  of  the  express 
company  is  one  hundred  pounds  of  the  same  kind  of 
dust.  This  is  earnest  money.  This  deposit,  made  of 
his  own  accord,  warrants  my  belief  in  his  ability  to 
produce  the  property.  Coupled  with  this  was  the 
watchfulness  over  me  by  both  Yamanatz  and  Chi- 
quita,  and  but  for  their  care  and  warning  I  should 
not  be  here  now." 

As  Jack  unrolled  the  buckskin  pouch  of  nuggets 
and  grains  of  dull,  rich  gold,  the  look  on  his  father's 


138  CHIQUITA 

face  changed  from  one  of  intense  scorn  to  deference, 
from  sarcasm  to  a  fawning  smile.  The  avarice  in  his 
nature  manifested  itself  in  so  apparent  a  manner  that 
Jack  was  tempted  to  make  one  little  fling,  but  re 
strained  himself. 

"  My  son,  what  you  have  uttered  about  the  Indian 
being  deprived  of  his  land  is  the  old  story.  Every 
once  in  a  while  it  comes  out  in  a  little  different  cover, 
but  are  we  to  blame  for  the  actions  of  our  ancestors? 
They  came  here  to  live,  to  escape  the  tyranny  of  rulers 
whom  they  renounced,  and  in  the  seeking  of  a  new 
world  were  obliged  to  treat  with  these  pagans.  Is  it 
not  far  better  to  have  this  country  populated  with  a 
race  of  God-fearing,  civilized,  labor-giving  people, 
a  people  who  by  their  master  minds  and  master  hands 
today  provide  the  world  with  food,  with  clothing, 
with  machinery  that  other  nations  may  become  en 
lightened  and  as  progressive  as  we  are?" 

;(  Yes,"  interrupted  Jack,  "  and  with  our  own  ma 
chinery  send  back  goods  and  experienced  laborers  to 
compete  with  the  skilled  labor  we  have  educated  up  to 
the  necessary  standard.  You  would  add  also,  that  this 
class  of  citizens,  with  its  Saturday  night  carousals 
and  Monday's  line  of  police  court  criminals,  is  su 
perior  to  the  noble  red  man,  who  knew  not  fire  water 
nor  knavery  until  these  civilized,  God-fearing  peo 
ple  taught  it  to  them." 


A  GLIMPSE  OF  HOME  139 

"  Well,  Jack,  are  you  going  to  head  a  tribe  of  Utes 
to  drive  us  back  across  the  big  sea?" 

"  No,  father,  I  guess  I  shall  have  all  the  work  of 
philanthropy  I  need  in  piloting  this  young  heathen 
through  the  '  hell  gate  '  of  learning  into  the  whirling 
vortex  of  society  and  accomplishments,"  laughingly 
answered  Jack. 

"  When  will  you  start  on  this  quest?"  timidly  asked 
his  mother. 

"  Not  later  than  the  first  of  March,  for  I  must  be 
at  Rock  Creek  soon  after  that  time,  and  part  of  the 
trip  is  via  the  snow  shoe  route." 

Just  then  Hazel  and  Jack's  sisters  knocked  imper 
atively  for  admission. 

"  Oh — ee,  Jack,  is  that  real  gold  dust  in  that  nasty 
looking  bag?"  said  Miss  Hazel,  as  she  sniffed  at  the 
pouch  suspiciously. 

"  Yes,  Miss  Tenderfoot,  that  is  the  real  stuff." 

"  What  is  that  you  call  me,  tenderfeet  ?  Why,  my 
feet  are  not  tender." 

"  Oh,  that  is  the  mountain  name  for  what  sailors 
call  '  landlubbers/  and — say,  when  I  get  a  couple  of 
wagon  loads  of  that  you  will  tack  my  name  onto  your 
own  with  a  little  hyphen,  won't  you,  dear?" 

"  I  say,  Jack,"  broke  in  one  of  his  sisters,  "  did  you 
run  across  any  good  looking  white  men,  with  lots  of 
money,  that  want  some  one  nice,  '  to  cook  for  two  ?'  " 


140  CHIQUITA 

And  the  dear  little  apron-bedecked  bit  of  sunshine 
pirouetted  on  her  toes  in  gleeful  anticipation  of  Jack's 
reply. 

"  Sure  I  did.  Bill  commissioned  me  to  get  him  a 
cook,  dishwasher,  milkmaid  and  wood  chopper," — 

"  Hold  on,  Mr.  Jack,  I  draw  the  line  on  milking. 
Ugh !  I  tried  it  once  down  at  Uncle  John's  and  I 
squirted  my  eyes  full  of  milk.  You  need  not  laugh 
so.  Uncle  John  just  laughed  fit  to  kill  himself.  That 
wasn't  half  so  bad  as  Hazel,  though.  She  tried  to 
put  blankets  over  the  little  pigs  so  they  would  keep 
warm,  and  when  the  old  pig  chased  her" — 

"  You  stop,  stop,  stop !  Fire !  Water !"  screamed 
Hazel  and  no  one  ever  found  out  what  happened 
during  the  chase. 

Then  sister  Katherine  wanted  something. 

"  Jack,  you  know  what  you  promised  to  get  me 
once,  and  you  said  when  you  had  enough  money  you 
would  buy  me  a  nice  canary  and  brass  cage,  and  now 
that  you  have  got  it — such  lots  of  it — won't  you  keep 
your  word?" 

"  They  raise  larger  and  louder  voiced  birds  in  the 
west  than  they  do  in  the  Hartz  mountains.  The 
'  Rocky  mountain  canary '  is  the  greatest  warbler  on 
earth.  I  have  my  mind  on  one  that  is  a  daisy  and 
when  I  come  back  you  shall  surely  have  it." 

"  Oh,  Jack,  you  are  so  good,"  murmured  she. 


A  GLIMPSE  OF  HOME  141 

Jack's  eyes  twinkled  as  he  thought  of  the  joke  he 
would  have  on  Katherine,  but  he  never  said  a  word. 
Turning  to  Hazel  he  said :  "  Well,  Lady  Jack,  what 
do  you  think  of  my  chaperoning  a  dusky  maiden  for 
several  years  in  her  search  for  a  continuous  perform 
ance  of  good  deeds,  hospitals,  nurses  and  the  study  of 
political  and  social  economy?  Do  you  think  her  thirst 
will  find  a  quencher?" 

"  Oh,  Jack,  go  by  all  means,  only  don't  attempt  to 
get  her  into  any  clubs  or  societies  and  expect  me  to 
help  you  out.  I  recommended  Daisy  Deane  for  initia 
tion  in  our  B.  A.  F.  club, — you  know  '  Bachelors  Are 
Forbidden,'  and  she  got  one  black  ball.  Daisy  is  a 
stenographer,  you  know,  and  her  employer  is  Mr. 
Doolittle  and  Mrs.  Doolittle  is  our  High  Priestess." 

"  Yes,"  said  Jack  curtly,  "  and  she  does  not  belie 
her  name,  I  guess." 

"  That  isn't  all,  Jack.  Mrs.  Doolittle  has  got  her 
ax  sharpened  for  me,  I  understand,  at  next  election. 
I  was  going  to  run  for  corresponding  secretary,  but 
I  guess  I  will  give  it  up!" 

The  short  visit  made  to  his  home  was  devoted 
mainly  to  making  arrangements  with  tutors  and  de 
ciding  on  the  best  lines  to  follow  in  fitting  Chiquita 
for  the  work  she  had  chosen. 

Hazel  and  his  sisters  made  quite  a  bit  of  sport  of 
the  undertaking,  but  Jack  took  it  all  good  naturedly, 


142  CHIQUITA 

holding  his    own    against    the    combined    forces    in 
repartee. 

After  these  details  were  disposed  of  he  joined  Hazel 
at  her  home  for  a  few  days,  then  started  for  the  fron 
tier. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

UTE,  BIG  WARRIOR — NO   PLOW. 

The  diuturnal  petticoat  of  snow  which  clothed  the 
mountain  was  getting  shorter  and  shorter  as  the  diur 
nal  sun  crept  farther  and  farther  north  on  his  summer 
ascension.  The  beavers  were  busy,  tooth  and  tail, 
building  new  dams  and  repairing  old  ones.  The  Ute 
ponies  were  getting  fat  on  new  buffalo  and  bunch 
grass,  and  the  tender-eyed  does  were  seeking  higher 
altitudes  when  Jack  again  reached  the  old  trail  lead 
ing  to  the  Indian  village  on  Rock  Creek. 

Chiquita  spied  the  lone  horseman  long  before  he  was 
aware  of  his  proximity  to  the  old  camping  ground. 

"  Chiquita  heap  glad  to  see  Jack."  She  made  her 
welcome,  palms  to  the  front,  raised  high  in  the  air. 

"  How  !  How  !"  replied  Jack  and  he  looked  askance 
at  Chiquita  in  wonderment  that  she  should  be  so  far 
from  the  village.  "  Jack  no  sabe,"  he  continued,  and 
looked  from  one  point  of  the  compass  to  another  for 
a  familiar  landmark. 

"  Chiquita  know,  see  Jack,  old  trail  behind  big 
peak,  new  trail  this  way,  when  Jack  go  where  sun 


144  CHIQUITA 

rise,  ground  covered  with  heap  big  snow — no  see  this 
trail." 

"  Me  sabe.  Where  Yamanatz,  Colorow,  Ante 
lope?" 

Chiquita  smiled  at  the  first,  became  grave  at  the 
second  and  a  flash  shot  from  her  eyes  at  the  word 
Antelope,  then  her  face  saddened  as  she  looked  into 
Jack's  very  soul.  "  Yamanatz  well,  Colorow  gone  to 
Agency,  Antelope  ready  for  big  pony  race — Susan 
want  Antelope,  Antelope  no  like  Susan,  like — mebbe 
so  Jack  knows,"  she  said  with  an  arch  look.  "  Ante 
lope  get  up  big  race  when  white  man  come  from  Hot 
Sulphur  Springs  with  heap  fast  pony  to  race  Ute 
ponies — mebbe  so  Ute  win  ponies — white  man  walk 
back,  Antelope  heap  smart.  Plan  big  race,  big  dance 
and  big  games  among  the  braves.  Susan  she  put 
Antelope  up  to  it,  beat  all  Indians  and  white  men, 
win  Susan  for  his  wife,  carry  her  off  to  his  tepee 
where  she  sing  songs  in  twilight.  But  Antelope  tell 
Chiquita  he  no  race — just  make  believe.  Antelope 
wait  for  Chiquita,  but" — and  she  stopped  abruptly 
with  the  frightened  look  of  a  startled  deer  as  she 
gazed  again  into  Jack's  face. 

"  When  race?"  he  asked. 

"  Three  moons." 

"  About  August,"  said  Jack  to  himself.  Then 
aloud,  as  a  bright  thought  came  to  him,  "  Does  Chi 
quita  sabe  name  of  white  man's  ponies?" 


UTE,  BIG  WARRIOR— NO  PLOW        145 

"  Me  sabe  one,"  she  replied. 

"  Jack  sabe  one  heap  fast  pony  in  Middle  Park. 
'  Brown  Dick/ — run  like  the  forked  lightning  out  of 
the  clouds." 

Chiquita  looked  surprised  and  interrogatively  an 
swered,  "  Mebbe  so  '  Brown  Dick '  beat  'em  Ute 
ponies,  white  man  ride  back?" 

At  which  Jack  laughed  heartily.  Chiquita  con 
tinued  :  "  That  is  the  pony  Antelope  think  no  run 
much,  heap  fast,  but  Ute  beat  him.  Antelope  bet 
money,  beads,  buckskin,  two  ponies  and  other  Utes 
bet  heap  lot." 

"  Has  Yamanatz  bet  anything  yet  ?"  asked  Jack. 

"  Yamanatz  don't  know — wait  Jack  come — Jack 
tell  Yamanatz  what  to  do." 

Jack  knew  the  horse  well  and  all  the  people  inter 
ested  in  the  races  and  decided  to  stay  and  see  the 
sport.  Even  had  Yamanatz  desired  to  go  to  the  big 
mine,  they  would  go  later.  On  reference  to  his  calen 
dar  he  found  a  total  eclipse  of  the  sun  would  take 
place  in  August  and  he  desired  to  see  the  Indians 
under  this  phenomenon  as  well  as  in  their  sports,  and 
witness  the  struggles  for  the  hand  of  Susan. 

Upon  arrival  at  the  Indian  village  Yamanatz 
greeted  Jack  in  the  customary  fashion.  It  was  not 
long  before  they  arranged  to  wait  for  the  August  fes 
tivities,  then  start  for  the  desert  mine  from  the 


146  CHIQUITA 

Agency,  to  which  point  the  Rock  Creek  village  moved 
a  short  time  after  Jack's  arrival. 

During  the  three  months  Jack  spent  his  time  pros 
pecting,  hunting,  and  studying  Indian  character.  Chi- 
quita  made  rapid  strides  in  her  studies  under  his  tu 
torship  and  by  the  time  set  for  the  races  she  could  con 
verse  very  well  in  English  and  read  ordinary  words. 
Jack  watched  the  ponies  and  the  athletic  braves  as 
preparation  was  made  for  the  great  event. 

For  days  the  frontiersmen  along  the  reservation 
border  had  been  wending  their  way  to  the  Agency. 
Gamblers  and  confidence  men  from  the  nearest  min 
ing  camps  ran  over  to  gather  in  a  few  dollars  which 
would  be  "  easy  money."  The  Government's  long 
delayed  annuities  and  rations  were  to  be  distributed 
the  week  before  the  contest,  so  every  Indian  had 
money  to  bet  or  to  buy  plunder  with.  Groups  of  In 
dians,  squatting  on  their  haunches  or  kneeling  be 
side  a  big  blanket  spread  upon  the  ground  as  a  table, 
gambled  or  traded  their  wares  in  common  with  the 
visitors. 

On  a  big  Navajo  blanket  sat  Chiquita,  making 
beaded  moccasins,  while  near  by  on  another  blanket 
rested  Susan,  engaged  in  beading  a  buckskin  shirt. 
Off  at  the  side  with  bridle  reins  dragging,  four  ponies 
fed  on  the  stubby  grass  as  their  owners,  two  Indians 
and  two  cowmen,  played  Spanish  monte.  The  cow- 


UTE,  BIG  WARRIOR— NO  PLOW        147 

men  wore  heavily  fringed  buckskin  shirts  and  broad- 
brimmed  hats,  each  hat  having  a  leather  band  and 
leather  string  which  passed  back  of  the  ears  and  under 
the  back  of  the  head  to  keep  the  hat  from  blowing 
off.  Their  feet  were  clad  in  high-topped  boots,  from 
which  clanked  the  cruel  Mexican  spurs  with  tinkling 
bells.  Each — and,  in  fact,  every  man  on  the  reserva 
tion,  had  six-shooters — some  four,  and  nearly  all 
carried  some  make  of  rifle,  not  that  they  feared  any 
evil,  but  it  was  second  nature  to  be  prepared  for 
game  of  any  kind.  Another  mark  of  civilization  was 
the  red  bandanna  handkerchief  tied  loosely  around 
nearly  every  man's  throat. 

Oaths  of  the  most  curdling  nature  bellowed  their 
way  incessantly  into  the  ears  of  the  onlooker.  A 
brightly  painted  Indian  with  eagle  feathered  bonnet 
and  a  string  of  grizzly  claws  around  his  neck,  won  a 
mule  skinner's  money.  The  latter  turned  loose  a  wild 
yell  and  a  string  of  hair-raising  adjectives,  accom 
panied  by  the  pistol-like  crack  of  his  fifteen-foot  whip, 
and  stalked  off  to  his  mules,  swearing  "  agin  the 
Gov'n'ment,  the  redskin  and  hisself" — chiefly  in  the 
end  "  agin  hisself."  Jack  hailed  him. 

"  Pard,  I've  seen  you  before." 

"  Mebbe  so,  stranger ;  I've  lived  in  these  hills  many 
snows,"  answered  the  freighter. 

"  Didn't  you  lose  some  blankets  about  a  year  ago  in 


148  CHIQUITA 

the  Wet  Mountain  valley,  near  Buena  Vista?"  asked 
Jack  without  mincing  matters. 

"  That's  what  I  did,  but  I  got  'em  back  and— well"— 
and  he  stopped  as  Jack  commenced  to  smile.  "  What 
pleases  you,  stranger?" 

"  I  was  picturing  in  my  mind  what  that  fellow's 
wife,  if  he  had  one,  and  she  could  have  seen  him, 
would  have  said  after  you  fellows  got  through  heaving 
him  into  that  dirty  pond  instead  of  hanging  him." 

The  man  of  mules  and  wagons  broke  into  a  long 
guffaw  that  echoed  back  from  the  woods,  and  circled 
his  long  whip  about  his  head,  allowing  the  big  broad 
cracker  to  settle  lightly  the  length  of  the  lash  from 
him  as  daintily  as  an  expert  caster  lets  his  flies  settle 
into  a  riffle  where  the  big  trout  hide,  then  with  a  fierce 
backward  motion  and  overhand  shoot  to  the  front  the 
long  sinuous  black  snake  straightened  out  with  a  vi 
cious  snap  that  made  Jack  wince,  for  it  told  the  rest  of 
the  tale  of  what  happened  to  the  blanket  thief  before 
"  court "  adjourned.  Then  the  freighter  finished  his 
remark. 

"  Well,  that  onery  cuss  that  stole  my  blanket  has 
got  my  mark  on  his  hide,  made  like  that." 

"  Yes,  I  think  he  must  have  about  fifteen  of  them 
the  way  the  whips  cracked  as  he  ran  the  gauntlet  be 
tween  about  thirty  of  you.  Did  he  live?" 

"  Oh,  yes.  That  is  he  was  alive  when  we  left  him 
on  the  prairie,  headed  for  the  Missouri  River." 


UTE,  BIG  WARRIOR— NO  PLOW        149 

"  I  was  on  my  way  to  Leadville.  Buena  Vista  was 
the  end  of  the  railroad  and  in  looking  after  some 
freight  at  the  depot  I  saw  the  preliminaries  of  opening 
'  court '  and  execution  of  '  judgment '  against  the  pris 
oner,"  explained  Jack.  To  which  the  grizzled  teamster 
replied : 

"  It  looks  cruel  to  one  not  familiar  with  frontier  life. 
It  seems  a  crime,  the  justice  which  overtakes  horse 
thieves  and  camp  prowlers,  while  those  who  commit 
greater  crimes  go  free.  But  there  are  no  two  things  so 
essential  to  life  on  the  border  as  blankets  and  horses. 
We  have  to  sleep  and  travel.  Hotels  don't  pop  up 
for  the  asking,  with  warm  beds  on  a  winter's  night, 
nor  do  horses  grow  out  of  a  pine  bough  when  a  man 
is  miles  away  from  any  habitation.  If  men  be  too 
onery  and  sassy  and  get  to  be  too  handy  in  their  gun 
play  with  each  other  we  make  no  fuss  if  both  t  go  over 
the  range  with  their  boots  on  ' — a-killing  of  them  fellers 
does  not  necessitate  an  honest  man's  freezing  to  death. 
We  never  hang  a  man,  nor  shoot  him,  if  he  steals  our 
grub  or  watch,  or  even  gets  our  gun,  but  blankets 
and  horses  are  sacred  property.  .  But  what  be  you 
doin'  in  here?" 

"  Came  over  to  see  the  Ute  races  and  study  In 
dians,"  replied  Jack. 

"  So  did  I,  but  to  make  it  more  binding  I  brought 
in  a  train  of  government  plunder  for  the  Agency, 


150  CHIQUITA 

some  plows  and  mowin'  machines  and  school  house 
desks.  Say,  but  I'd  like  to  see  some  of  these  red 
skins  trying  to  cut  a  furrer  down  that  sage  brush  flat 
or  sittin'  at  one  of  them  desks  doin'  sums  in  'rithmetic. 
More'n  likely  they'll  be  makin'  pictures  of  Parson 
Meeker  crossing  the  divide  on  a  sulky  plow  under 
escort  of  Uncle  Sam's  cavalry,"  at  which  the  freighter 
turned  his  gigantic  laugh  loose  again. 

Just  then  two  men  in  "  store  clothes  "  picked  their 
way  around  the  various  groups  of  horses  and  Indians, 
stopping  a  short  distance  from  Jack  and  the  freighter, 
whose  sobriquet  was  "  Cal."  As  the  new  comers  faced 
square  about  Cal  eyed  them  a  moment  and  then  said 
to  Jack: 

"  You  see  that  red-faced,  black  mustached  feller 
standin'  there?  Well,  that's  Sam  Tupper,  the  grave 
yard  starter  of  the  Animas  and  Wet  Mountain  valleys. 
I  seen  him  make  the  first  corpse  in  Silver  Cliff.  Won 
der  what  he's  doin'  up  here.  Sure  as  gun's  made  of 
iron  he's  up  here  for  mischief.  It  was  October  and  the 
first  blizzard  of  the  season  caught  us  all  with  short 
wood  and  no  pitch  hot.  Every  prospector  around  the 
cliff  made  for  '  Nigger  Barber's  '  place — afterward  it 
got  a  regular  name,  the  '  slaughter  house,'  kase  '  Nig 
ger,' — he  was  half  Indian,  half  Mexican  and  balance 
coyote — had  two  great  big  stoves  to  keep  us  warm. 
Four  fellers  rode  into  the  Cliff  about  10  o'clock,  cold 


UTE,  BIG  WARRIOR— NO  PLOW       151 

and  hungry,  and  expected  to  find  a  tavern  started, 
but  they  were  a  little  early,  for  the  camp  was  right 
young,  so  they  got  permission  to  use  some  feller's  tent 
near  by — one  of  the  four  was  Charley  Rogers  " — 

"  Owner  of  '  Brown  Dick,'  "  interrupted  Jack,  in 
surprise. 

"  Yes ;  and  Frank  Mitchell,  Les  McAvoy  and  Paddy 
Dinslow.  Les  was  a  bad  man,  no  mistake.  His  daddy 
was  a  judge  in  one  of  the  northern  counties  and  when 
Les  was  a  kid  the  old  man  would  take  the  youngster 
to  some  of  the  faro  banks,  hold  him  on  his  knee  and 
seem  to  think  it  cute  if  the  little  gambler  picked  up  a 
'  sleeper '  and  sold  it  to  the  barkeep  for  lumps  of 
sugar  or  a  bottle  of  pop.  Well,  Les  got  pretty  tough. 
Worked  some,  but  liked  his  '  licker '  and  was  allus 
waitin'  to  pick  a  fuss.  He  was  nervy  and  could  fight 
with  fists,  stove  pokers, '  toad  stabbers  '  or  six-shooters, 
it  was  all  the  same  to  him.  Sam  and  '  Nigger '  both 
knew  him  of  old  in  Trinidad  and  Silverton.  The  first 
night  after  the  boys  got  into  the  Cliff  they  dropped 
into  '  Nigger's  '  and  got  into  a  game  of  faro.  Les  piled 
his  stack  of  reds  above  the  limit  and  Sam  there,  who 
was  lookout,  told  Les  to  take  'em  down.  Les  lost  on 
the  turn,  but  before  the  dealer  could  rake  in  the  chips 
Les  snatched  the  extra  ones  off  the  top  of  the  pile.  If 
he  won,  the  dealer  only  paid  the  limit,  and  then  Les 
would  talk  bad.-  All  of  'em  were  scared  of  Les  and 


152  CHIQUITA 

no  one  wanted  to  make  a  beginning,  so  they  humored 
him,  but  the  next  night  they  laid  for  him.  I  met 
Frank  and  Charley  durin'  the  day  and  they  said  Les 
had  been  run  out  of  Silverton,  and  he  remarked  as 
he  came  into  the  Cliff,  '  Boys,  mebbe  it's  my  time  to 
die  with  my  boots  on  in  this  very  camp,  but  I'm  game.' 
"  It  was  almost  8  o'clock  and  '  Nigger's '  was 
jammed.  There  was  a  big  crowd  at  the  table  near  the 
end  of  the  bar.  I  sat  at  a  table  parallel  to  it,  the  big 
red  hot  stove  making  the  apex  of  a  triangle  about  the 
same  distance  as  the  tables  were  apart.  The  deal 
which  old  Colonel  Crumpy  was  making  came  to  an 
end.  I  was  winner  and  thumbing  my  chips,  when 
bang  went  a  gun  at  the  other  table.  Say,  but  did  you 
ever  see  two  hundred  and  fifty  crazy,  desperate  men 
push  and  crowd  out  of  gun  play  range?  Well,  there 
was  lots  of  tender  feet  in  that  gang.  They  jumped 
onto  the  '  mustang  '  table  and  then  to  the  hazard  table 
and  into  the  crowd,  pell-mell,  out  of  windows.  One 
feller  was  so  scar't  he  never  stopped  to  open  it,  but 
went  kersmash  through  glass  and  all.  Durin'  this  I 
backed  away  keerful  like  to  the  wall  between  two  win 
dows.  I  knew  if  any  of  'em  started  to  run  it  would  be 
in  the  middle  of  the  room  and  I  didn't  feel  like  risking 
my  back  to  that  crowd.  My  gun  hung  handy  in  case 
of  a  free  get-away,  or  die  a  doin'  it.  As  I  felt  the  cold 
green  boards  rub  my  spine  I  seen  the  rest  of  the  show. 


UTE,  BIG  WARRIOR— NO  PLOW        153 

It  don't  take  a  man  a  lifetime  to  move  when  guns  are 
speakin'. 

"  It  seems  a  kid,  with  sickly  taller-like  face  and 
pinched  cheeks,  a  young  feller  from  the  States  lookin' 
for  a  gold  mine,  who  got  broke  and  nothing  to  do  but 
clean  spit-kits  in  '  Nigger's '  and  tend  bar,  had  been 
exercised  a  little  with  the  cards,  dealing  faro,  and  they 
put  him  on  watch  with  a  big  Colt's  old-fashioned  navy 
on  his  lap,  all  cocked  and  ready  for  business,  with  in 
structions  that  if  Les  did  any  more  funny  work  to 
plug  him.  Les  had  bet  his  stack  as  high  as  he  could 
pile  'em  and  lost,  grabbed  the  extra  chips,  and  to  the 
dealer's  '  You — put  them  chips  back,'  Les  slid  up  the 
back  of  his  chair.  He  was  keepin'  cases  and  had  his 
back  to  me,  reachin'  fer  his  gun.  He  had  on  a  pair  of 
blue  overalls,  and  the  hammer  of  that  six-shooter  got 
caught  in  the  corner  of  his  pocket.  I  seen  him  tuggin' 
to  get  it  out,  and  the  dealer,  whose  name  was  Bert  Lil- 
lis,  had  lifted  the  big  cannon,  the  muzzle  half  way 
across  the  table,  and  with  both  hands  pulled  the  trig 
ger,  got  scared,  dropped  the  gun  and  was  trying  to 
skin  under  the  table.  He  turned  his  head  sideways  to 
keep  from  scratching  his  nose,  and  just  then  Les  got 
into  action.  He  leaned  on  his  left  hand  over  the  mid 
dle  of  the  faro  layout,  put  the  muzzle  of  his  gun  against 
the  eye  of  the  dealer  as  he  was  sliding  down  and  fired. 
As  Les  was  doin'  this  Sam  Tupper  was  busy,  but  Les 


154  CHIQUITA 

had  his  eye  on  the  lookout,  who  dared  not  move  his 
hand  for  fear  Les  would  git  him  first.  As  quick  as 
Les  made  his  play  at  the  dealer,  Sam  reached  for  a 
drawer  about  six  inches  from  his  hand  and  grabbed 
a  pearl-handled,  silver-plated  gun.  As  Les  turned  with 
uplifted  arm,  cocking  his  weapon,  Sam  stepped  to  the 
edge  of  the  drygoods  box  on  which  the  lookout's  chair 
was  placed,  his  weapon  pointing  straight  at  Les's  heart. 
Before  Les  could  fire  there  was  a  flash — a  report.  The 
smoke  from  the  pearl-handled  gun  wreathed  around 
Les's  head  as  he  turned  convulsively,  frantically  trying 
to  get  the  muzzle  of  his  pistol  on  a  line  with  Sam,  who 
stood  with  the  least  perceptible  smile  waiting  for  the 
eye  of  his  opponent  to  catch  his  own,  but  as  Les's  body 
slowly  swayed  and  pivoted  the  gambler  knew  that  in 
a  moment  more  all  would  be  over.  The  fingers  which 
tightly  gripped  the  murderous  firearm  now  slackened, 
gripped  again,  then  the  pistol  dropped  to  the  floor ;  a 
body  straightened  up  its  full  height,  the  head  thrown 
back  in  defiance  and  with  eyes  rolling  upward,  Les 
McAvoy  fell  prone  to  the  floor  backwards.  As  he  fell 
that  man  standing  there  stepped  off  the  box  with  the 
pearl-handled  gun  cocked  for  a  second  shot,  and  hissed 
between  those  white  teeth  of  his,  'You  got  it  that 
time.'  The  jury  heard  no  evidence  of  any  shots  but 
Lillis'  and  the  one  Les  fired — no  bullet  was  found 
from  a  Colt's  navy,  round  ball.  A  conical  ball  rested 


UTE,  BIG  WARRIOR— NO  PLOW        155 

just  beneath  the  skin  in  the  small  of  the  back.  The 
jury  said,  '  Justifiable  homicide  at  the  hands  of  Bert 
Lillis/  and  I  heard  that  Lillis  died  the  next  day." 

"And  that  is  the  man  who  did  the  deed  ?  "  asked 
Jack,  as  he  gazed  at  a  real  bad  man ;  "  one  of  those 
who  make  the  history  of  every  country  black  with  their 
infamous  deeds,  which  they  plan  and  then  inveigle  in 
nocent  people  to  execute." 

"  Yes,"  said  Cal,  "  and  these  redskins  are  not  much 
to  blame  for  goin'  on  the  warpath  the  way  they  are 
bamboozled  about.  The  trouble  is,  them  cusses  in 
Washington,  who  never  see  an  Injun  and  who  don't 
know  what  a  real  live  one  is,  pass  laws  and  send  com 
missioners  and  army  officers  and  agents  out  here  to 
investigate.  Some  are  preachers,  some  cunning  law 
yers  and  some  statesmen — they  call  'em  so.  The  in 
vestigation  drags  along  while  the  poor  devils  go 
hungry.  Rations  are  held  back,  blankets  rot 
for  want  of  transportation,  and  somebody  back 
in  the  woodpile  is  getting  rich  all  the  time.  Then  the 
Injun  takes  it  out  of  a  party  of  prospectors  or  some 
poor  rancher,  or  like  as  not  holds  up  a  train  of  mules 
and  the  mule-skinners  '  bite  the  dust '  after  defending 
their  own  property.  But  I  suppose  in  the  end  it  is  all 
for  the  benefit  of  what  they  call  civilization.  Let's  go 
and  see  them  ponies  over  there." 

"  Look,"  said  Jack ;    "  must  have  been  a  bunch  of 


156  CHIQUITA 

folks  come  in  last  night,"  pointing  to  a  regular  settle 
ment  of  new  tents  and  camping  outfits. 

"  Well,  durn  my  pictures,"  ejaculated  Cal.  "  Throw 
a  rope  on  that  blaze-faced,  lop-eared  son  of  Israel  with 
a  pack  on  his  back  and  let's  see  his  brand.  Guess  you 
find  them  everywhere  except  in  Jerusalem.  Hello, 
Isaac ;  where's  Abraham  ?  " 

"  Who'd  you  mean,  my  brodder  or  my  f adder?  My 
name  is  Cohen,  and  I  gome  to  make  a  locashun  for  a 
cloding  store.  Dis  will  be  a  fine  blace  for  a  town,  und 
Cohen  will  be  der  bioneer  merchant,  ain't  it?  " 

"  Git  out,  you  hook-nosed  Jew;  this  is  Injun  reser 
vation,  and  yer  '  Uncle  Sam '  don't  allow  no  store 
keepers  here,  except  his  own  pets !  " 

"  What  iss  dot  ?  I  got  no  Ungel  Sam ;  I  got  un 
Ungel  Moses  und  Ungel  Solomon,  but  no  Ungel  Sam. 
Ain'd  dis  a  new  town?  Don'  the  shentlemans  wand  a 
negdie  or  hangerchief  ?  I  haf  a  " — but  Jack  and  Cal 
had  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  the  would-be  "  bioneer." 

As  Jack  stepped  around  the  trunk  of  a  big  pine  the 
noose  of  a  lariat  circled  around  and  settled  over  his 
head  and  arms;  a  short  jerk  and  he  was  brought  up 
standing.  Cal  looked  on  wonderingly,  for  at  the  other 
end  of  the  rope  sat  a  buckskin-clad  cow-puncher 
mounted  on  a  thoroughbred  cow-pony. 

"  Now  will  you  be  good  ?  "  The  bronzed  face  of 
"  Happy  Jack  "  broke  into  wreaths  of  smiles  and  happy 
laughter. 


UTE,  BIG  WARRIOR— NO  PLOW        157 

"  Hello,  Jack !  " 

"  Hello  yourself." 

"  Shake,  old  man — put  her  thar,  Jack.  Glad  ter  see 
yer.  Never  thought  to  see  yer  over  here  among  the 
Utes." 

"  When  did  you  leave  Roaring  Forks  ?  " 

"About  a  week  ago ;  been  looking  for  some  horses 
that  are  missing." 

"  Jack,  shake  hands  with  Cal  Wagner.  No,  not  the 
minstrel  man,  but  his  equal  just  the  same." 

"  Cal,  this  is  '  Happy  Jack  '  of  the  Bar  E  Ranch  over 
in  the  Grand  River  country." 

Both  men,  thus  introduced,  shook  hands,  and  after 
a  few  exchanges  of  the  day  "  Happy  Jack  "  coiled  up 
his  lariat  and,  lifting  his  bridle  reins,  said,  "  I  must 
look  around  this  camp  a  while  afore  the  races.  May 
find  some  signs,  but  I'll  see  yer  both  again — adios." 

The  spurs  jingled  and  his  pony  loped  off  toward  the 
valley.  Cal  looked  at  the  disappearing  cow-puncher 
and  turned  to  Jack,  who  said: 

"  He's  as  good  one  as  ever  straddled  a  broncho.  He 
sure  is  a  character  and  his  name  is  well  earned.  One 
of  the  happiest  men  I  ever  met.  I'll  tell  you  about  him 
as  we  take  a  smoke  and  watch  the  Indians.  Down  on 
Roaring  Forks  of  the  Grand  River  a  young  fellow  from 
the  east  by  the  name  of  Eads  took  up  a  ranch.  He 
was  staked  by  some  rich  relative,  and  after  buying  a 


158  CHIQUITA 

bunch  of  steers  and  some  American-bred  horses,  drove 
them  over  the  Tennessee  pass  to  the  Bar  E  ranch,  five 
miles  above  the  big  Hot  Springs*  where  the  Forks 
empties  into  the  Grand.  He  hired  '  Happy  Jack  '  as 
boss  of  the  outfit,  and  with  two  or  three  other  cow- 
punchers  he  started  in  and  built  a  log  house,  and  when 
I  was  there  seemed  to  be  doing  well.  I  was  on  a  hunt 
ing  trip  from  Middle  Park  and  heard  about  the  Bar  E 
ranch  and  the  Springs,  so  our  party  made  the  place  our 
camping  ground  for  a  week.  The  grass  was  fine  and 
all  the  stock  rolling  fat.  His  horses  were  in  two 
bands — one  'used  '  on  one  side  of  the  Forks  and  the 
other  band  grazed  on  the  opposite  side.  They  rounded 
up  the  horses  once  a  week  at  least,  and  the  range  riders 
never  let  the  stock  get  away  very  far. 

"  One  evening  just  after  grub  one  of  the  boys  came 
down  to  the  cabin  from  the  corral  and  said,  '  Old 
Martha  has  pulled  her  picket  pin  and  vamoosed/ 
'  Martha  '  was  stake  mare.  Jack  said, '  I  guess  not/  and 
bolted  up  the  bank  to  the  open  bench  which  run  for 
half  a  mile  back  to  the  cedars  and  pinons,  where  the 
branding  pens  and  corrals  were.  He  walked  out  to 
where  he  had  picketed  the  mare  and  pulled  up  the  pin 
with  about  ten  feet  of  rope  left  where  it  had  been  cut. 
It  was  just  before  sundown,  and  a  bunch  of  horses 
which  had  been  run  into  the  corral  when  the  stake 


*  "  Hot  Springs  " — now  Glenwood  Springs. — EDITOR. 


UTE,  BIG  WARRIOR— NO  PLOW        159 

horse  was  changed  had  not  gotten  far  away.  Jack 
yelled  '  Thief ! '  and  for  the  boys  to  hustle  and  see  if 
some  of  the  bunch  could  be  gotten  back  into  the  cor 
ral — a  feat,  you  know,  next  to  impossible  when  no  one 
is  mounted.  As  luck  would  have  it,  four  went  in 
when  the  rest  broke,  but  we  managed  to  get  the  bars  up 
before  they  turned.  It  was  but  a  few  seconds'  work  to 
rope  a  '  saddle-wise  '  one  and  cinch  him  up.  Jack  had 
taken  off  his  belt  and  it  lay  on  the  ground  with  his 
six-shooters  back  at  the  cabin.  He  pointed  at  mine  and 
said,  '  Give  me  that  gun.'  Throwing  himself  into  the 
saddle,  he  was  off  like  a  streak  of  lightning.  The 
mare's  hoofprints  were  plainly  visible  in  the  trail  lead 
ing  toward  the  Grand  River.  About  9 130  o'clock  we 
heard  a  yell  and  went  up  to  the  corral.  Jack  had  the 
mare.  Not  a  word  was  uttered,  except  '  She  was  in 
the  middle  of  the  ford  just  above  where  the  Forks  go 
into  the  Grand.'  Both  horses  were  covered  with  ridges 
of  dry  sweat  and  looked  jaded,  as  though  every  inch  of 
ten  miles  had  been  run  in  a  death-race  struggle.  On 
the  off  side  of  '  Martha  '  a  dirty  red  streak  mingled 
with  the  sweat.  As  we  went  slowly  back  to  the  cabin, 
after  picketing  both  horses,  Jack  handed  me  my  belt 
and  gun — a  Colt's  .41  double  action.  Two  empty  cart 
ridge  shells  told  the  story  of  a  tragedy.  A  week  later 
one  of  our  party  found  the  body  of  a  man  on  the  bank 
of  the  Grand  five  miles  below  the  Forks  with  two  bul 
let  holes  in  his  back. 


160  CHIQUITA 

"  Jack  had  one  habit  that  city  boys  think  belong  to 
themselves" — 

"  Midnight  lunches  ?  "  asked  Cal. 

"  Yes ;  but  Jack  generally  had  his  hungry  spell 
about  2  a.  m.  Every  night  that  our  party  was  at  the 
Bar  E  ranch  Jack  would  wake  us  up  and  every  one  had 
to  '  break  bread  '  with  him — only  it  was  flapjacks  in 
stead  of  bread.  Jack  would  do  all  the  work,  and1  he 
was  an  artist  with  the  frying  pan.  He  would  turn 
those  big  cakes  by  tossing  them  out  of  the  pan  in  the 
air,  you  know,  and  catch  them  after  the  flop.  After 
our  lunch  a  smoke,  and  while  we  smoked  a  few  deals 
of  Spanish  monte  and  a  story  or  two,  then  back  to 
bunks.  Yes, '  Happy  Jack  '  is  a  character." 

As  Jack  finished  his  story  of  "  Happy  Jack  "  a  shout 
announced  the  beginning  of  the  trials  of  strength, 
endurance  and  courage,  which  would  probably  pro 
claim  the  victor  for  the  hand  of  Susan.  Standing 
erect  with  arms  folded  over  his  breast,  Red  Plume 
watched  with  seeming  indifference  the  trials.  Susan, 
seated  upon  her  blanket,  appeared  even  more  so;  in 
fact  when  it  became  apparent  that  Antelope  was  not 
to  be  one  of  the  contestants  she  shook  her  head  and 
disconsolately  continued  her  beadwork. 

The  braves  vied  with  each  other  in  feats  of  running, 
wrestling,  jumping,  swinging  from  one  tree  to  another, 
riding  in  all  manner  of  positions  on  bareback,  bridle- 


UTE,  BIG  WARRIOR— NO  PLOW        161 

less  ponies;  throwing  knives  at  each  other's  heads, 
arms  and  necks  in  endeavors  to  pinion  the  victim  to  a 
tree  without  doing  him  any  bodily  harm;  torturing 
themselves  with  cruel  whips;  gashing  and  lacerating 
the  flesh ;  being  suspended  from  a  pole  or  bar  by  means 
of  thongs  thrust  under  the  muscles  of  the  shoulders, 
and  other  blood-curdling  deeds  original  with  the 
savage. 

Old  chiefs  watched  the  young  bucks,  and  as  the 
games  proceeded  these  old  ones  shook  their  heads  or 
nodded  in  assent  as  success  or  failure  rewarded  the 
contestants. 

All  were  in  gala  dress.  War  bonnets  of  elaborate 
manufacture  bedecked  some,  while  single  feathers 
adorned  others.  Small  hoops  fastened  to  long  sticks 
were  held  aloft  displaying  portions  of  a  human  scalp, 
the  hair  floating  naturally  from  one  side  while  the 
other  side  of  the  scalp  was  painted  a  bright  red.  Every 
Indian  lovingly  carried  his  pipe,  the  red  slender  bowl 
made  from  pipestone  mined  from  quarries  hundreds 
of  miles  away  and  guarded  carefully  from  reckless 
souvenir  and  market  hunters. 

As  a  successful  contestant  received  his  reward  and 
led  his  bride  away,  the  onlookers  rent  the  air  with 
piercing  yells ;  rattle-boxes  split  the  ear  with  their 
characteristic  din,  and  tom-toms  bellowed  their  dull  in 
tonations  with  a  certain  amount  of  regularity  which 


162  CHIQUITA 

produced  that  same  agonizing  monotony  of  sound 
found  in  a  healthy  foghorn. 

In  a  group  not  far  from  the  racing  strip  was 
Yamanatz,  and  thither  Jack  and  Cal  bent  their  way. 
Charley  Rogers  and  his  companions  were  making  bets 
with  anyone  who  would  risk  ammunition,  money, 
clothes,  ponies,  blankets,  guns,  pistols  or  knives;  and 
even  war  bonnets  were  staked.  Yamanatz  was  about 
the  only  Ute  who  did  not  bet  against  "  Brown  Dick." 
Few  of  the  white  gamblers,  who  had  come  to  fleece 
the  Indians  with  their  special  style  of  confidence 
games,  cared  to  risk  their  coin  against  Indian  ponies 
or  wampum.  They  wanted  cash,  and  as  the  Indians 
had  plenty  to  do  to  meet  all  the  demands  of  Jack  and 
his  friends  and  Charley  Rogers  and  his  following,  the 
gamblers  saw  little  prospect  of  a  coup. 

The  level,  well  -  beaten,  straight  -  away  course 
stretched  along  between  rows  of  tents,  tepees  and 
lodges  out  into  the  plain  beyond.  Indian  races  are  not 
upon  oval  tracks  and  are  not  confined  entirely  to  one 
dash  over  the  course,  but  include  a  certain  distance  and 
back  over  the  same  ground,  the  finish  being  at  the 
starting  point.  Other  races  are  run  where  the  con 
testant  must  lean  from  the  pony's  back  and  pick  up 
a  quirt  or  hat  as  the  animal  dashes  past. 

But  the  time  for  the  great  race  on  which  the  bets 
are  made  has  arrived,  and  the  restless,  anxious  ani- 


UTE,  BIG  WARRIOR— NO  PLOW        163 

mals  have  to  be  guided  to  the  starting  place  by  their 
riders  and  arranged  in  line  with  heads  opposite  the  di 
rection  in  which  the  race  is  to  be  run.  Bare-skinned 
warriors  on  bridleless,  saddleless  ponies,  a  small,  finely- 
braided  lariat  attached  to  the  horse's  jaw,  sit  like 
graven  images  upon  their  favorite  steeds.  "  Brown 
Dick,"  whose  rider  is  his  owner,  steps  along  jauntily, 
champing  in  eager  fashion  the  silver-ringed  bit  sup 
ported  by  a  silver  ornamented  Mexican  braided- 
leather  bridle,  the  loose  reins  held  almost  listlessly 
by  the  man  in  blue  shirt  and  buckskin  trousers  seated 
on  an  English  racing  saddle.  A  little  moisture  around 
the  roots  of  the  delicately  pointed  ears  shows  that 
"  Brown  Dick  "  has  been  exercised.  The  muscles  of 
the  forelegs  play  beneath  the  skin  as  step  by  step  he 
approaches  the  line;  the  veins  in  his  arched  neck 
stand  out  like  small  ropes,  and  the  dilated  nostrils  re 
veal  the  pink  membranes  as  each  deep  breath  is  in 
haled.  Charley  has  maneuvered  for  position,  timing 
his  arrival  to  such  a  nicety  that  the  last  slow  step  of 
his  well-trained  racer  falls  exactly  as  the  pistol  belches 
forth  the  signal  to  start.  Simultaneously  he  utters  a 
shrill  "  Go  "  and  presses  his  knees  violently  into  his 
horse's  sides,  leaning  far  out  in  the  saddle  and  throw 
ing  his  weight  against  the  reins  on  the  faithful  horse's 
neck,  who  rears  aloft,  pivots  in  beautiful  fashion  and 
leaps  in  one  bound  clear  of  the  line  of  frantic  ponies, 


164  CHIQUITA 

and  amid  the  warwhoops  of  Indians,  the  yells  of  the 
frenzied  and  the  fear  of  defeat  piercing  his  ears  he 
dashes  on  to  victory.  The  struggle  is  not  long,  and 
the  spoils  won  from  the  vanquished  nearly  bankrupt 
the  entire  tribe  until  the  next  annuities  replace  their 
losses. 

There  are  no  imprecations  nor  villainous  mutter- 
ings.  An  Indian  is  a  good  loser  and  bears  defeat  in  a 
philosophical,  stoical  manner.  Immediately  after  the 
exciting  races  come  the  feasts  given  to  the  successful 
competitors,  and  the  following  day  finds  the  erstwhile 
holiday-arrayed  village  desolate  and  uninteresting. 

Yamanatz,  Jack  and  Chiquita  began  preparations 
for  the  trip  to  "  Blazing-Eye-by-the-Big- Water,"  and 
soon  followed  the  crowd  of  visitors  making  their  way 
to  the  nearest  railroad. 

The  last  one  to  bid  Chiquita  "  adios  "  was  Antelope. 
He  had  little  to  say,  but  averred  he  would  continually 
seek  the  aid  of  all  the  Ute  gods,  big  and  little,  to  bring 
the  heart  of  Chiquita  to  Antelope's  tepee. 

"Antelope  will  wait  many,  many  snows  and  take  no 
other  maiden,"  were  his  parting  words. 

The  restraining  influence  which  Chiquita  and  Yam 
anatz  exerted  vanished  very  soon  with  their  departure 
from  the  reservation.  Susan  at  once  commenced  to 
be  vindictive,  as  jealousy  and  revenge  gnawed  at  her 
heart.  Chagrined  and  disappointed  at  the  turn  of 


UTE,  BIG  WARRIOR— NO  PLOW        165 

affairs  in  the  competition  by  the  young  bucks  for  their 
brides,  she  coquetted  with  Johnson,  well  knowing  that 
in  him  she  would  find  an  acquiescent  if  not  an  ag 
gressive  leader.  Futhermore,  he  was  the  brother-in- 
law  of  Ouray  and  considered  one  of  the  greatest  of 
Douglas'  band  of  great  warriors  and  fighters.  She 
soon  became,  in  fact,  Johnson's  squaw,  and  no  one  in 
all  the  Ute  tribe  was  more  regal  in  dress  nor  feared 
more  as  an  enemy  than  Susan.  Her  silver  girdles, 
beaded  buckskins,  elk-tooth  necklaces  and  other 
feminine  accessories  were  the  envy  of  squaws,  whose 
chiefs  were  also  envious  of  Johnson — aye,  even  of  any 
one  of  Douglas's  band  of  braves. 

While  the  races  and  general  carnival  were  in 
progress  at  the  Agency  a  portion  of  this  renegade  band 
had  wandered  far  out  in  the  plains  one  hundred  miles 
east  of  Denver,  near  Cheyenne  Wells,  where  they  quar 
reled  with  and  murdered  Joe  McLane,  of  Chicago,  and 
fled  back  to  the  reservation  through  Middle  Park — 
Colorow,  Washington,  Shavano  and  Piah.  Washing 
ton  was  wounded  and  had  his  arm  in  a  sling  when  they 
met  the  outgoing  party,  of  which  Charley  Rogers, 
Jack,  Yamanatz  and  Chiquita  were  members,  then 
camped  on  the  Frazier  River.  Colorow  offered  no  ex 
planation  of  whence  they  came  nor  their  object,  but 
all  four  were  in  a  hurry  and  hastened  along  through 
the  Park. 


166  CHIQUITA 

Arriving  on  the  Blue,  where  old  man  Elliott  peacea 
bly  conducted  a  ranch  and  with  whom  the  Indians  had 
been  on  good  terms  for  years,  they  murdered  him  in 
cold  blood  and  left  immediately  for  the  Agency. 

Upon  their  arrival  it  did  not  take  long  to  start  the 
undercurrent  of  open  revolt.  Susan  enlisted  the 
sympathies  of  Jane,  a  vicious  squaw,  whose  husband 
had  a  great  many  ponies.  Jane  had  selected  a  fine 
piece  of  pasture  land  and  under  the  rights  of  an  Indian 
"  squatted  "  upon  the  land  in  question.  It  was  the 
best  land  near  the  Agency,  and  Meeker  decided  to  use 
it  for  cultivation  and  to  "  school  "  the  Utes  in  the  use 
of  the  plow.  Jane  objected,  and  quarrel  after  quarrel 
took  place,  Douglas  even  going  so  far  as  to  assault 
Agent  Meeker  in  his  (Meeker's)  own  home. 

A  compromise  was  seemingly  effected  by  which  Jane 
was  to  get  another  piece  of  land  for  her  pasture  and 
Meeker  again  set  the  plow  to  going,  only  to  have  the 
man  in  charge  of  the  work  shot  at  by  two  bucks  who 
were  concealed  in  the  sage  brush.  Meeker  had  re 
peatedly  asked  aid  of  both  state  and  Federal  govern 
ment.  He  begged  for  troops,  as  the  lives  of  the  white 
people  were  in  peril.  As  the  aged  philanthropist 
listened  to  the  council  held  in  a  smoke-smothered 
lodge,  where  warrior  after  warrior  gave  utterance  to 
his  opinion  in  a  language  absolutely  unintelligible  to 
any  but  a  Ute,  and  when  at  last  Douglas  made  his 


UTE,  BIG  WARRIOR— NO  PLOW        167 

measured,  forcible,  irresistible  appeal  to  his  brother 
savages  to  resist  the  onward  march  of  the  white  peo 
ple,  he  (Meeker)  must  have  known  his  doom  was  at 
hand.  Signal  fires  were  constantly  seen  as  night  came 
on,  and  the  murmur  of  discontent  increased  with  the 
uncertainty. 

Finally  word  came  that  troops  were  on  the  way. 
Captain  Payne  with  colored,  and  Major  Thornburg 
with  white  troops  had  oeen  despatched  to  the  Agency. 
The  morning  of  September  30,  1879,  saw  the  White 
River  plateau  under  sunny  skies — the  air  was  warm 
and  inviting.  Twenty  or  thirty  bucks  of  Douglas's 
band  sauntered  forth  as  though  in  quest  of  venison, 
others  of  the  various  bands  had  been  out  among  the 
hills  on  similar  errands,  and  it  was  not  unusual  for 
the  majority  of  the  whole  Ute  nation  to  be  scattered 
throughout  the  reservation  even  beyond  the  lines  for 
short  periods. 

Susan,  Jane,  Antelope  and  a  few  others  wandered 
about  the  Agency  buildings  laughing,  chattering  and  in 
the  best  of  spirits.  All  seemed  happy,  Susan  especially, 
and  Antelope  had  not  been  so  gay  for  a  long  time. 

Still  there  was  an  ominous  phase  to  their  very  good 
humor.  It  had  that  practical  joke  fatality  which  fore 
boded  evil  in  every  smile  and  made  the  heart  sick  for 
those  who  watched  the  sage-covered  mesa  and  feathery 
clouds  which  floated  from  range  to  range.  But  a  few 


168  CHIQUITA 

miles  away  toward  the  Red  Canon  on  Milk  Creek  the 
troops  were  hastening.  As  the  advance  line  swung  up 
to  the  narrow  gorge  a  few  Indians  in  warpaint  sud 
denly  came  into  view.  The  cavalry  made  an  attempt 
to  flank  the  defile  and  thus  saved  the  entire  command 
from  being  literally  shot  to  pieces  by  Indians  surround 
ing  the  open  death  trap  into  which  they  would  have 
marched. 

Hostilities  were  begun  at  once  by  the  Indians. 
Major  Thornburg  in  his  attempt  to  cut  through  to  the 
main  body  was  killed,  with  thirteen  others.  The  rest  of 
the  troops  reached  a  place  of  safety,  and  with  the  dead 
bodies  of  their  comrades,  the  carcasses  of  dead  horses 
and  mules  and  the  wagons,  formed  a  temporary  shel 
ter  until  breastworks  could  be  thrown  up.  The  com 
mand  was  not  relieved  until  the  5th  of  October. 

Runners  carried  the  news  of  the  ambuscade  to  the 
Agency,  reaching  there  at  noon  of  the  same  day.  Dur 
ing  the  excitement  which  followed  and  the  shots  di 
rected  first  at  the  men  who  were  putting  a  roof  on  a 
building,  the  venerable  agent  was  killed  and  a  barrel 
stave  driven  down  his  throat,  log  chains  placed  around 
his  neck,  and  subsequently  the  savages  in  their  fury 
held  up  the  dead  man's  legs,  imitating  a  man  plowing. 

The  women  were  taken  by  Douglas,  Johnson  and 
other  Utes  to  the  old  Rock  Creek  village  and  there 
held  as  prisoners  until  the  middle  of  October.  Susan 


ANTELOPE,  THE  CIVILIAN,  1902. 


UTE,  BIG  WARRIOR— NO  PLOW        169 

was  left  at  the  Agency  and  did  not  know  that  her  brave 
warrior  had  taken  unto  himself  a  new  squaw  under 
penalty  of  blowing  her  brains  out,  nor  that  Douglas 
threatened  another  with  death  unless  she,  too,  became 
his  Ute  squaw,  while  the  other  Indians  jeered,  scoffed 
and  insulted  the  wives  of  the  men  who  lay  dead  at  the 
Agency.  Yet  these  bucks  dared  do  nothing  but  taunt 
the  poor,  helpless  women,  as  Douglas  and  Johnson 
were  big  chiefs,  and  the  women  owed  their  personal 
safety  to  the  declaration  that  they  were  respectively 
Douglas's  and  Johnson's  squaws. 

Upon  the  body  of  Major  Thornburg  was  found  a 
picture  of  Colorow,  this  signifying  that  the  death- 
dealing  bullet  that  killed  the  officer  had  been  fired  by 
that  crafty  old  savage. 

After  a  tedious  examination  of  both  Johnson  and 
Douglas  by  commissioners,  Douglas  was  confined  in 
the  prison  at  Fort  Leavenworth  for  one  year.  Colorow 
never  was  taken  into  custody. 

When  Susan  learned  that  her  wily  spouse  (John 
son)  had  been  unfaithful  to  her,  she  started  at  once  for 
Rock  Creek  with  the  intention  of  murdering  the  white 
woman ;  but  she  was  too  late,  as  the  prisoners  had  been 
led  away  and  delivered  to  their  friends  in  a  place  of 
safety. 

The  Utes  were  afterward  moved  to  the  Uintah  Res- 


170  CHIQUITA 

ervation  *  in  Utah,  but  many  of  them  visit  the  old 
Agency  grounds,  and  at  this  writing  (1902)  Antelope 
again  favored  the  White  River  people  with  his  pres 
ence  and  his  photograph  in  civilized  attire. 

*For  authentic  documents  on  the  Meeker  massacre  see  Chicago  Tribune, 
Oct.  2-15,  1879 ;  Denver  papers  of  same  date ;  Bancroft's  History  of  Colorado ; 
U.  S.  House  Documents,  1879-1880  (Indian  Commission). 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE    BLAZING-EYE    MINE. 

In  Eastern  California  there  lies  a  strip  of  country 
less  than  a  hundred  miles  in  length  and  thirty  miles  in 
width — the  Gehenna  of  America — a  basin  so  defiled 
that  the  abomination  of  the  Israelites,  the  Valley  of 
Hinnom,  was  a  paradise ;  Tophet,  where  the  sacrifices 
of  children  to  Moloch  were  made  by  this  Biblical  tribe 
of  Hebrews,  was  at  least  habitable.  Death  Valley  lies 
two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  lower  than  the  tide  water  of 
the  Pacific  Ocean.  Upon  this  strip  of  land  grows  no 
verdure,  and  within  its  confines  exists  no  life  save  the 
scorpion,  the  centipede,  the  tarantula,  the  hideous  gila 
monster  and  rattlesnakes,  all  more  deadly  poisonous 
than  sisters  and  brothers  of  the  same  family  found  else 
where,  each  species  a  continual  menace  to  the  others  in 
the  never  ending  battle  for  life — vindictive  conquerors 
at  last  being  vanquished  by  more  malignant  foes. 

The  desert  is  one  mass  of  burning,  blighting  alkali 
sand.  The  heat  is  beyond  human  endurance,  and  what 
few  pools  of  water  may  be  found  by  digging  deep  into 
the  earth  are  so  pregnant  with  disease-breeding,  loath- 


172  CHIQUITA 

some  germs,  that  death  is  but  hastened  to  the  poor 
victim  of  thirst  who  attempts  to  assuage  his  sufferings 
by  drinking  the  polluted  reward  of  frenzied  labor. 

At  one  time  the  government  established  an  observa 
tion  station  within  the  borders  of  this  waste  to  give 
scientifically  to  the  world  an  accurate  account  of  the 
perils  which  await  the  prospector  venturesome  enough 
to  visit  this  living  ossuary — the  realm  of  the  dead 
and  habitat  of  the  uncanny.  Records  show  that 
the  government  representative  found  the  heat  so 
burdensome  that  clothing  was  dispensed  with,  and 
in  nature's  primitive  garb  the  lonely  vigils  were  passed 
until  the  station  was  abandoned. 

Years  before,  a  prospector  braved  the  perils  of  the 
desert  and  returned  more  dead  than  alive,  but  with 
golden  sand  and  golden  nuggets  and  tales  of  a  mine 
whose  splendor  out-dazzled  the  wildest  dreams.  This 
prospector  called  the  mine  after  himself,  "  Pegleg." 
He  obtaining  his  sobriquet  from  the  fact  that  one  of 
his  legs  was  a  wooden  peg.  He  organized  a  party  and 
they  entered  the  valley,  never  to  return.  Other  parties 
were  formed  and  attempted  a  rescue,  only  to  leave 
their  bones  to  bleach  as  monuments  of  man's  distorted 
and  perverse  cupidity. 

The  government  sent  a  detachment  of  soldiers,  well 
versed  in  the  knowledge  of  all  the  impending  dangers, 
but  none  returned  save  a  corporal,  and  he  a  raving 


THE  BLAZING-EYE  MINE  173 

maniac,  upon  a  thirst-crazed  mule.  Thus  the  famous 
"  Pegleg  "  mine  became  a  legend  fraught  with  mys 
tery  and  weird,  blood-curdling  memories. 

It  was  to  this  mine,  "  The  Blazing-Eye-by-the-Big- 
Water,"  that  Yamanatz  was  to  conduct  Jack.  The 
Utes  in  years  gone  by  made  the  trip  from  the  moun 
tains  to  the  desert  land  and  returned  laden  with  golden 
ornaments,  their  trappings  covered  with  gold  nuggets 
beaten  into  fantastic  shapes.  It  took  many  moons  in 
their  comings  and  goings,  and  many  fierce  battles  were 
waged  with  other  tribes  in  the  latter's  endeavors  to 
wrest  the  secret  from  the  wily  warriors,  who  knew  of 
a  safe  but  dangerous  underground  river  bed,  which 
wound  its  tortuous  way  beneath  the  sand-covered 
desert,  cutting  the  wonderful  deposit  in  half.  But 
even  this  passage  to  that  mountain  of  wealth  was  beset 
by  terrors  as  frightful  as  those  above  the  ground.  Rep 
tiles  had  ingress  and  egress  from  fissures  leading  to 
the  surface,  and  one  was  in  constant  danger  at  every 
step,  not  from  the  trail  alone,  but  from  the  roof  and 
sides  of  that  slimy  canon,  the  gloom  of  which  added 
to  the  dark  hideousness,  as  the  feeble,  flickering 
torches  awakened  the  lethargic  inhabitants  of  that 
abandoned  inferno. 

The  trip  from  the  White  River  Agency  had  been 
made  by  rail  as  far  as  possible.  Every  provision 
had  been  made  that  could  be  devised  for  protection 


174  CHIQUITA 

against  the  evils  surrounding  the  dangerous  mission* 
The  nearest  station  which  Jack  could  in  any  way 
"  guess  "  would  land  them  near  a  point  from  whence 
Yamanatz  could  find  his  way  was  Mojave.  The 
curious  of  the  little  town  watched  the  preparations  of 
the  trio  as  they  made  ready  to  prospect  toward  the 
Telescope  range.  The  party  consisted  of  Yamanatz, 
Jack  and  Chiquita,  and  an  old  "forty-niner"  who  was 
asked  to  join  them  under  the  promise  of  good  wages 
and  the  usual  "  interest "  in  any  claims  which  might 
be  "  staked."  As  they  slowly  made  their  way  along 
the  edge  of  the  great  Mojave  desert,  Yamanatz  was 
continually  on  the  lookout  for  some  familiar  sign  that 
would  indicate  they  were  in  the  locality  leading  to  the 
mysterious  river  bed.  Finally  the  fourth  day  found 
them  encamped  at  the  edge  of  a  low  "  bench,"  or  hill, 
mountains  arising  from  one  side  and  an  undulating, 
dreary  waste  of  billowy  sands  stretching  to  the  hori 
zon  on  the  other. 

"  It  is  good,"  said  Yamanatz,  continuing,  "  On  the 
morrow  Chiquita  will  go  with  the  prospector  to  the 
stream  where  yonder  mountain  meets  the  sky.  Chi 
quita  will  watch  and  wait  until  Jack  and  Yamanatz 
shall  return.  The  prospector  will  find  an  old  vein  of 
mineral  in  which  is  gold.  He  must  work  upon  that 
while  Yamanatz  and  Jack  go  toward  the  setting  sun, 
where  the  buzzards  roost  waiting  for  those  who  ven 
ture  into  Death  Valley." 


THE  BLAZING-EYE  MINE  175 

This  satisfied  the  prospector,  who  answered,  "  It 
is  not  much  thet  bird  gets  to  put  inside  his  '  bone  box  ' 
sence  the  fools  quit  a-goin'  ter  ther  '  Pegleg  '  mine.  Ye 
hev  bin  told  about  thet,  I  guess,  and  ye  don't  look  thet 
crazy  as  would  attempt  even  a  one  hour's  ride  into 
thet  furnass.  I'll  go  with  the  Injun  gal,  and  good  luck 
ter  ye." 

"  We  will  be  gone  five  sleeps,"  said  Yamanatz. 

The  second  day  found  Jack  and  the  Ute  chief  inside 
the  well-concealed  stone  covered  opening  which  led 
to  the  river  bed.  Armed  with  horsehair  whips  and 
gnarled  pifion  torches  which  blazed  and  smoked,  they 
made  their  way,  leading  horses  and  pack  mules  along 
the  subterranean  passage.  Occasionally  the  swashing 
of  water  smote  their  ears,  and  at  intervals  open  fissures 
extending  to  the  stream  far  below  them  were  en 
countered,  whereby  cooling  drink  was  obtained  by 
means  of  a  lariat  and  camp  bucket.  It  was  not  difficult 
to  replenish  the  leathern  pouches  provided  for  water. 

The  middle  of  the  fourth  day  they  reached  the 
crumbling,  disintegrated  mass  of  quartz,  honey 
combed  with  gold.  It  was  necessary  to  crush  the  de 
cayed  ore  and  extract  the  huge  nuggets  by  washing 
in  a  pan.  Occasionally  the  breaking  of  some  of  the 
rock  revealed  solid  masses  of  pure  gold,  while  in 
pockets  of  rusty,  discolored  quartz  great  handfuls  of 
gold  sand  were  disclosed.  All  that  day  and  night  Jack 


176  CHIQUITA 

worked  with  a  frenzied  fervor,  loading  saddlebag  after 
saddlebag  with  the  precious  metal.  Yamanatz  assisted 
until  all  their  receptacles  were  filled,  then  a  couple  of 
hours  of  rest — sleep  was  out  of  the  question.  The  heat 
and  excitement  rendered  it  useless  to  attempt  it. 

Packing  the  valuable  pouches  together  with  the  few 
camp  requirements  which  had  been  used  on  the  trip, 
the  return  was  commenced.  The  entrance  was  reached 
in  less  time  than  it  required  going;  but  now  it  be 
came  necessary  to  mark  a  trail  by  which  Jack  could 
find  the  way  back  to  the  cavern  alone.  Monuments 
of  stone  were  erected  in  triangles,  which  gave  the 
needed  bearings  for  future  use.  More  time  had  been 
consumed  than  had  been  allowed,  and  starvation  ra 
tions  for  man  and  beast  became  necessary. 

When  the  last  monument  to  complete  the  chain  had 
been  erected  it  was  midnight,  and  it  was  decided  to  at 
tempt  the  crossing  of  the  desert  strip  at  an  angle.  Hour 
after  hour  they  traveled,  yet  at  daybreak  no  blue  haze, 
no  lofty  peak  appeared  in  that  simmering,  sweltering, 
burning  waste.  The  trail  behind  them  was  as  water 
struck  with  a  whip.  The  sand  in  front  gave  no  allur 
ing  sign.  The  ponies  labored — the  mules  were  restive. 
Silently  as  a  moonbeam  falling  across  the  earth  the 
cavalcade  moved.  Another  midnight,  and  Jack  re 
sorted  to  his  knowledge  of  astronomy  to  guide  them 
from  that  fearful  death  which  another  day  would  prob- 


THE  BLAZING-EYE  MINE  177 

ably  bring.  The  constellation  of  Cassiopea  seemed  to 
beckon  him  in  her  direction.  Again  the  red  copper- 
colored  sun  appeared  above  the  horizon;  a  faint  blue 
line  in  front  gave  hope  of  relief.  The  ponies  were  al 
lowed  free  rein  to  choose  their  own  way. 

As  the  sun  rose  higher  and  higher  the  heat  drove 
the  pack  animals  into  a  frenzy.  The  oscillating  motion 
of  those  in  the  saddle  was  almost  unendurable.  Gloom 
ily  they  looked  at  each  other — the  one  seeing  that 
shrunken,  skin-drawn,  parched,  pinched  human  hor 
ror  in  front,  wondering  if  he  in  turn  looked  the  same. 
Still  they  lived  and  hoped.  Again  hour  succeeded 
hour  until  the  midnight  of  another  day  arrived.  Sud 
denly  the  mules  gave  a  joyful  whinny  and  started  up 
a  sandy  gulch  at  a  brisker  pace  than  they  had  been 
traveling.  The  last  of  the  water  had  been  divided  that 
noon  and  no  food  had  been  tasted  for  three  days.  In 
another  hour  they  came  to  a  rock  where  a  little  pool 
struggled  only  to  lose  itself  in  the  sand.  But  by 
scooping  away  the  earth  while  the  animals  were  paw 
ing,  even  biting,  the  very  ground,  Jack  was  at  last  able 
to  save  a  little  of  the  precious  fluid  and  appease  their 
immediate  thirst. 

A  short  rest  and  the  march  was  again  resumed.  By 
noon,  gaunt  and  hidedrawn,  two  Indian  ponies  stum 
bled  along  the  burning  sands.  Two  horsemen  with 
vacant,  stony  stare,  pitifully  reeled  in  their  saddles  as 


178  CHIQUITA 

their  horses  wabbled  slowly,  painfully  into  the  camp 
of  the  "  Lone  Fisherman.  "  Pack  mules  with  droop 
ing,  lifeless  ears,  tongues  lolling  from  their  mouths 
and  hoofs  cracking  from  contact  with  the  poisonous 
alkaloids  of  the  desert,  staggered  under  their  burdens 
as  they  toiled  after  the  silent  spectres  in  the  lead.  The 
dust-begrimed,  skin-dried,  withered,  parched  and 
blighted  beings  athwart  those  animated  skeletons  were 
Jack  and  Yamanatz.  The  load  under  which  the  beasts 
of  burden  tottered  was  gold.  Death  Valley  had  been 
invaded,  and  once  more  substantial  treasure  from  the 
"  Pegleg  "  mine  gave  positive  evidence  of  the  fabulous 
riches,  surpassing  the  most  wonderful  opulence  of  an 
cient  kings,  which  was  accorded  those  who  survived 
the  horrors  of  the  health-wrecking,  life-destroying 
journey.  A  joyous  welcome  awaited  the  returned 
travelers.  Chiquita  had  determined  to  get  a  rescuing 
party  that  day,  but  a  kind  Providence  directed  other 
wise.  In  attempting  the  short  cut  from  the  last  tri 
angle  of  monuments  Jack  and  Yamanatz  had  traveled 
in  a  circle. 

Jack  recovered  his  normal  condition  more  readily 
than  did  Yamanatz.  Before  leaving  the  "  Lone 
Fisherman,"  which  the  old  prospector  found  of  value 
sufficient  to  pay  for  working,  Yamanatz  and  Jack  again 
made  the  trip  to  and  from  the  nearest  located  triangle 
and  Jack  had  no  trouble  in  future  visits.  He  soon  sue- 


THE  BLAZING-EYE  MINE  179 

ceeded  in  obtaining  from  the  Government  a  valid  title 
to  the  ground. 

The  nucleus  of  that  fortune  was  spent  in  fitting  Chi- 
quita  for  her  college  education. 

She  entered  at  once  upon  her  studies,  under  the  care 
of  private  tutors,  and  in  two  years'  time  the  rapid  ad 
vancement  made  placed  her  far  along  toward  the  goal 
of  learning.  Academic  courses  followed  in  quick  suc 
cession,  her  wonderful  intellectual  powers  seemingly 
never  to  weary  or  flag  in  their  grinding  evolution  from 
savagery  to  civilized  enlightenment  during  her  self- 
imposed  task  of  ten  years  in  the  bright  fields  of  knowl 
edge. 


CHAPTER  XL 

COLLEGE   VACATIONS. 

During  one  of  the  spring  terms,  when  the  birds 
taunted  Chiquita  with  their  freedom,  Jack  and  Hazel 
proposed,  during  the  recess  of  two  weeks,  that  they 
all  take  a  trip  to  the  Indian  Territory  and  visit  the 
Cherokees,  Kiowas  and  Comanches,  among  whose 
tribes  were  many  relatives  of  Chiquita.  Over  a  rough 
and  dusty  roadbed  rolled  a  long  train  of  coaches  bear 
ing  tourists,  farmseekers  and  business  men  through 
banks  of  smoke  and  clouds  of  cinders  to  the  great 
farming  lands  of  the  west.  At  Coffeyville  Jack  dis 
embarked  his  party  and  in  a  comfortable  "  buckboard  " 
continued  the  journey.  A  couple  of  miles  of  dusty 
road  between  sweltering  hedges  of  osage  orange  led 
them  to  the  boundary  of  the  Indian  Territory.  Along 
this  in  a  never  varying  line  for  a  hundred  miles  on  the 
north  side  stretched  farm  after  farm,  divided  from  the 
highway  and  each  other  by  thousands  of  miles  of  wire 
fencing.  Bare  cornfields  and  treeless  wastes  spread 
forth  uninviting  landscape,  marked  at  intervals  with 
the  houses  of  the  ambitious  ranchmen,  who,  by  pre- 


COLLEGE  VACATIONS  181 

occupation  or  purchase,  obtained  title  to  the  soil. 
Alkali  dust  smarted  the  nostrils,  and  the  glare  of  the 
noonday  sun  scorched  the  faces  of  travelers.  Plow 
men,  making  ready  for  the  season's  planting,  rested 
their  teams  as  the  pleasure  seekers  stopped  to  inquire 
the  road  to  California  Creek. 

To  the  south  of  the  highway  rolled  a  grass-covered 
prairie  that  seemed  a  great  poly-chromed  rug  of  velvet. 
The  hand  of  man  had  not  chiseled  the  virgin  soil  with 
plowshare,  nor  riveted  its  surface  with  post  and  rail. 
A  well  defined  road  led  zigzag  over  its  undulating 
bosom  until  the  hideous  regularity  of  section  lines  dis 
appeared  behind  a  friendly  stretch  of  upland.  Cotton- 
wood,  elm  and  oak  became  frequent  as  they  entered 
the  valley  of  the  Verdigris  and  great  stretches  of  for 
est-dotted  park  enchanted  the  eye  and  gave  rest  to 
tiresome  monotony  of  treeless  plain.  Occasionally  an 
unpretentious,  unpainted  shanty  gave  evidence  of  man, 
and  inquiry  proved  it  to  be  the  abiding  place  of  one  of 
the  precivilized  occupants  of  unfettered  expanse  of 
the  American  continent,  the  other  a  "  squaw  man," 
who  had  made  matrimonial  alliance  with  the  partially 
civilized  companion. 

"  Jack,"  said  Chiquita,  after  the  inspection  of  one 
of  these  abodes  of  an  Indian,  who  had  adopted  some 
of  the  ways  and  customs  of  his  white  brethren, 
"  Cherokee  once  big  Indian,  now  half  man,  half 


182  CHIQUITA 

coyote;  little  plow,  little  hunt,  little  eat — little 
good,"  and  she  curled  her  lip  in  disdain  as  she 
contemplated  the  work  of  onwardness.  Continuing 
the  conversation  in  the  more  polished  language  of  a 
college  student,  "  Did  not  the  Great  Spirit,  the  one  God 
of  the  Indians,  put  his  people  here  in  this  paradise — 
this  continent  of  flower-carpeted,  forest-grown  hills 
and  vales,  a  people  noble  in  thought,  noble  in  dignified 
demeanor,  with  a  belief  in  a  religion  simple  and  effec 
tive?  Among  Indians  are  no  infidels  or  agnostics. 
All  Indians  believe  in  the  Happy  Hunting  Ground  and 
the  Great  Spirit.  Do  you  know,  Jack,  of  any  coun 
try  where  the  native  race,  indigenous  to  the  land, 
compare  with  the  noble  red  man  as  he  was  when  the 
first  white  settlers  occupied  America?" 

"  Possibly  the  Arabs  or  early  Egyptians  might 
compare  more  favorably  than  any  other  nation  that 
I  know  of,"  Jack  replied. 

"  Yes,  but  Egypt  and  Arabia  are  of  today,  whereas 
the  Indians  are  wards  of  a  great  government,  and 
your  government  has  condemned  the  Indian  to  a 
worse  Siberia  than  that  to  which  Nihilist  was  ever 
transported.  Look ;  there  is  a  specimen  of  what  a  civi 
lized  government  docs  to  a  native-born  American," 
pointing  to  a  "half-breed"  trying  to  plow  with  one 
steer  harnessed  up  like  a  horse. 

"  Hello !  "  Jack  sang  out  to  the  man  thus  referred  to. 


COLLEGE  VACATIONS  183 

As  the  buckboard  stopped  a  few  rods  from  the  shack, 
called  a  "  hoos,"  the  individual  addressed  pulled  at 
his  galluses  and  hat,  then  walked  over  to  the  fence, 
which  enclosed  fifty  acres  of  newly  plowed  ground, 
said,  "  How?"  and  stood  gaping  at  the  travelers. 

"  Good  morning,"  cheerily  said  Jack.  "  We  are  on 
our  way  to  Pryor  Creek  and  then  want  to  go  into 
the  Kiowa  Reservation.  Can  you  tell  us  anything 
about  the  road  ?  " 

"  Waal,  I  reckon  yes.  It's  good  goin'  'til  yer  git  to 
the  Verdigris.  Thet  nigh  ho'se  (meaning  horse,  pro 
nounced  with  long  o  and  aspirate  s)  uster  belong  to  the 
'  Lazy  L  '  outfit." 

The  answer  was  given  in  a  drawling,  sing-song  tone, 
with  full  rests  between  every  third  word,  when  the 
speaker  stopped  to  pick  up  a  stick  to  whittle,  to  halloo 
at  his  steer  or  to  show  how  straight  he  could  expec 
torate  a  small  freshet  of  tobacco  juice  between  his 
teeth  at  some  real  or  imaginary  mark.  His  skin  was 
a  dirty  soot  color,  and  his  raven  black  eyes  and  straight 
hair  emphasized  his  ghastly  pallor.  He  was  tall  and 
thin — built  on  the  Arkansas  plan  of  constructing  lad 
ders.  His  hips  and  shoulder  blades  seemed  to  meet, 
giving  his  long,  lank  legs  the  appearance  of  a  man's 
head  on  jointed  stilts.  Jack  made  no  reply  to  the  re 
mark  about  the  horse  with  the  "^  "  brand,  but  in 
quired  the  distance  to  the  Verdigris. 


184  CHIQUITA 

"  It's  quite  a  patch.  I  reckon  yer  mought  hev  some 
'  navy  '  about  yer  close;  jess  the  same  if  yer  moughten 
—thanks." 

Jack  had  learned  that  a  plug  of  tobacco  had  "  open 
sesame "  qualities  among  certain  species  of  human 
beings,  and  in  his  war  bag  were  several  pounds  cut 
into  goodly  sized  pocket  pieces'.  One  of  them  he 
handed  to  the  "half-breed,"  who  tore  off  a  corner 
with  his  teeth,  absentmindedly  putting  the  rest  in  his 
pocket.  The  "  tip  "  had  the  desired  effect,  for  "  Lad 
der  Legs  "  recounted  in  the  drawl  of  the  Cherokee 
half-breeds,  with  its  characteristic  aspirating,  all  the 
crooks,  turns,  fords  and  distances  to  the  Kiowa  Res 
ervation.  In  response  to  Jack's  inquiry  regarding  the 
limited  cultivation  of  the  land  so  near  the  Kansas 
border,  "  Ladder  Legs  "  vouchsafed  this  information : 

"A  '  squaw  man  '  has  little  ambition,  and  a  half- 
breed  none.  The  environments  of  Indian  life  make  a 
'  States  '  man  dejected  and  he  soon  outgrows  the  in 
fant  ambition  which  prompted  him  to  marry  a  squaw 
that  he  might  '  take  up  '  land  in  the  territory.  A  white 
man  cannot  live  on  the  Indians'  ground  except  he  mar 
ries  a  squaw  or  the  daughter  of  a  man  who  has  had 
tribal  rights  conferred  upon  him ;  then  he  becomes  an 
Indian  and  can  have  a  fifty-acre  pasture  fenced,  all  the 
land  he  will  cultivate,  and  the  '  range  '  for  his  stock 
to  feed  upon.  You  see  that  bend  in  the  river?  Waal, 


COLLEGE  VACATIONS  185 

a  white  man  from  the  States  married  the  widow  of  a 
well-to-do  Cherokee  half-breed.  He  is  educated  and 
has  grown-up  daughters  almost  as  white  as  you  be, 
and  a  nice  house  well  furnished,  and  he  rents  out  a 
part  of  his  land  on  shares  to  some  '  niggers/  or  half- 
breeds,  and  they  cultivate  all  the  land  he  can  put  under 
fence.  Some  day  when  this  land  is  allotted  he  will 
own  an  immense  tract." 

"  How  about  the  range  you  spoke  of?  "  asked  Jack. 

"  The  cattlemen  up  in  the  States  supply  a  bunch  of 
cattle  to  some  ranchman  having  a  good  range  or  lots 
of  open  country,  well  watered,  around  his  house. 
Probably  the  man  has  a  lot  of  corn  and  wants  to  feed 
the  cattle  over  winter  and  take  profit  in  so  much  in 
crease  of  beef,  pound  for  pound,  that  these  cattle 
gain.  Nearly  all  of  the  ranchmen  have  hogs  to  run 
with  the  cattle,  so  there  is  another  source  from  which 
a  return  is  anticipated.  Pays,  did  you  ask  ?  Sure ;  all 
get  rich  who  will  work.  But  over  there  on  California 
Creek  was  a  young  fellow  who  had  a  snap  of  it  if  ever 
a  man  did.  This  young  fellow  married  the  daughter 
of  an  Indian  missionary,  a  preacher  from  up  in  Kan 
sas,  who  rewrote  the  real  Bible  in  the  Cherokee  dia 
lect,  for  which  the  tribe  made  him  a  full-blooded  In 
dian,  as  far  as  any  rights  in  the  nation  were  concerned. 
After  they  were  married  they  came  down  here  with 
their  fine  duds  and  bought  a  ranch  over  on  the  creek 


186  CHIQUITA 

of  a  full-blood  Cherokee.  He  lived  there  about  four 
years.  He  had  friends  up  in  one  of  the  Missouri 
towns  in  the  livestock  commission  business  and  they 
had  all  kinds  of  cattle.  They  started  the  young  fel 
low  with  four  thousand  fine  steers  in  the  spring,  and 
told  him  to  raise  some  corn  for  the  next  winter  and 
feed  the  first  lot  on  the  range,  then  they  would  send 
in  another  bunch  for  winter  care.  Them  there  cattle 
drifted  all  the  way  to  Texas,  and  do  you  suppose 
the  lazy  dude  would  try  to  round  'em  up?  No,  sirree. 
He  was  just  too  nice.  His  hands  were  so  soft  he 
couldn't  get  a  calf  to  the  brandin'  post  in  a  corral,  let 
alone  rope  a  steer  and  brand  him  in  the  open  coun 
try.  The  folks  came  down  on  him  and  he  lost  the 
ranch.  His  wife  died  and  he  went  to  Honduras,  or 
the  Philippines,  or  somewhere.  But  this  yere  land  is 
all  goin'  to  be  allotted  some  day  and  then  it  is  good- 
by  to  the  freedom  which  we  get  here  now.  Yes,  civi 
lization  kicks  up  a  heap  of  dust.  Good-by ;  stop  and 
see  me  if  you  come  back  this  way.  Adios." 

Chiquita  seemed  amazed  to  hear  that  an  educated 
man  from  the  civilized  States  would  let  such  a  golden 
opportunity  pass  him  by.  Mile  after  mile  of  the  fair 
est  cattle  range  was  passed  on  their  way  into  the 
Kiowa  Reservation. 

The  time  had  arrived  when  Chiquita  must  return  to 
college.  During  her  visit  to  the  old  relatives  who 


COLLEGE  VACATIONS  187 

had  married  into  the  Territory  tribes  she  learned  that 
a  distant  cousin  of  hers  was  to  be  shot  for  the  murder 
of  a  fellow  Indian.  The  tribal  council  had  tried  him 
and  sentenced  him  to  death  six  months  before,  but  on 
the  plea  which  he  made  for  leave  of  absence  to  go  to 
his  old  home  among  the  mountain  Utes  in  Colorado  to 
see  his  mother  and  father  before  he  died,  they  had  re 
spited  him.  The  time  for  his  return  expired  at  noon 
the  very  day  that  Chiquita  was  to  start  back. 

She  learned  the  story  about  four  hours  before  noon — 
the  time  for  the  execution — and  at  once  made  her  way 
to  the  council  hall,  where  in  solemn  silence  waited  the 
court  and  executioners.  Chiquita  pleaded  that  they 
spare  her  cousin.  The  plea  was  made  to  deaf  ears. 
He  had  dealt  the  death  blow  to  a  Kiowa,  and  by  their 
laws  he  had  been  tried  and  found  guilty,  and  by  their 
law  he  must  suffer  death. 

"  Where  is  he,  that  I  may  see  him  ?  "  asked  Chi 
quita. 

"  He  has  not  returned." 

"  He  will  come.  A  Ute  does  not  fear  the  death  that 
awaits  him,  even  for  a  crime/'  proudly  asserted  Chi 
quita.  "  The  Great  Manitou  will  send  him  back.  Has 
he  not  danced  to  Wakantanka  with  a  buffalo  skull 
hung  to  a  thong  that  passed  through  the  flesh  of  his 
back?  Will  one  who  has  danced  to  the  Sun  be  afraid 
to  return  to  the  Kiowa  dogs?  Polar  Bear  knows  that 


188  CHIQUITA 

the  Utes  would  drive  him  back  from  the  Happy  Hunt 
ing  Ground  and  be  killed  by  them  if  he  did  not  keep 
his  promise  to  return.  Polar  Bear  knows  there  is  no 
escape." 

"  Chiquita  is  wise  in  what  she  says.  The  Kiowas 
know  that  Polar  Bear  has  been  a  big  brave  and  danced 
the  awful  Sun  dance,  but  the  hour  is  near  at  hand, 
and  no  word  that  he  comes.  What  have  we  to  insure 
his  return,  except  the  Indian's  faith  in  the  hereafter 
and  that  the  Great  Manitou  will  punish  him  in  the 
Happy  Hunting  Ground  if  he  disobeys  the  Kiowa 
Council  and  splits  his  heart  with  a  lie  when  he  prom 
ised  to  return?  " 

At  this  moment  a  shout  was  heard  and  a  mounted 
runner  quickly  appeared,  his  horse  covered  with  flecks 
of  foam  and  nostrils  deeply  blowing. 

"  Polar  Bear  comes.  He  runs  like  the  deer  of  the 
plains,  when  we  lived  in  sight  of  the  great  mountains, 
the  home  of  the  Utes." 

The  council  suspended  all  manifestations.  The  ex 
ecutioner  examined  his  rifle.  Polar  Bear  entered  and 
bowed  his  head,  then  looked  aloft  and  pointed  to  the 
sky. 

"  I  am  ready,"  was  all  he  said. 

The  hour  lacked  ten  minutes  of  the  expired  time. 
The  executioner  motioned  and  Polar  Bear  followed. 
Under  a  large  oak  he  took  his  stand,  stripped  to  the 


COLLEGE  VACATIONS  189 

waist,  a  scarlet  heart  painted  over  his  own.  The  exe 
cutioner  took  his  place,  a  few  steps  away,  sighted  his 
rifle  at  the  painted  heart,  a  puff  of  smoke,  a  sharp 
report,  a  gush  of  blood,  and  Polar  Bear  had  atoned 
for  his  crime.  Chiquita  turned  to  Jack  and  asked : 

"  Is  there  another  nation  in  the  world  where  their 
criminals  return  of  their  own  accord  to  suffer  the 
death  penalty?" 

Most  of  the  summer  vacations  of  her  college  life 
Chiquita  spent  among  the  forests,  crags  and  parks  on 
the  Ute  reservation  or  in  her  mountain  home  near 
Middle  Park.  Hundreds  of  student  friends  visited 
her  at  the  latter  place  and  were  entertained  for  weeks 
in  a  royal  manner,  to  their  great  pleasure,  a  result 
which  does  not  always  follow  the  lavish  expenditure 
of  money.  Tents,  tepees,  lodges,  log  cabins  and  quaint 
cottages  were  set  apart  for  the  use  of  the  guests.  A 
beautiful  rustic  chapel  improvised  for  religious  serv 
ices  and  a  hall  for  indoor  entertainment  were  erected 
near  the  small  hotel  at  the  source  of  Rock  Creek, 
where  a  famous  iron  and  soda  spring  bubbles  forth  its 
sparkling  waters  of  more  than  ordinary  quality.  The 
adjacent  hills  furnished  abundance  of  deer,  and  even 
bear,  and  the  famous  catches  of  trout  perpetuated  the 
glory  of  a  summer  on  Rock  Creek  as  a  lifelong  real 
istic  dream.  The  most  elaborate  of  Indian  trappings 
adorned  the  various  abodes.  Canoes  silently  sped 


190  CHIQUITA 

along  the  surface  of  an  artificial  lake  made  by  repair 
ing  an  old  beaver  dam,  and  in  the  corral  Ute  ponies, 
Mexican  burros  or  American-bred  saddle  horses,  be 
sides  traps,  brakes  and  coaches  presented  a  never- 
tiring  array  from  which  to  select  in  order  to  make  pil 
grimages  into  more  distant  territory. 

A  little  garden  furnished  fresh  vegetables,  while 
the  "  ranch  hack  "  made  trips  to  the  nearest  railway 
station  for  other  provisions  once  a  week.  Chiquita 
arranged  for  the  pre-emption  of  this  ranch  on  one  of 
Jack's  early  visits,  but  by  reason  of  mineral  springs 
being  reserved  by  the  Government  from  operation  of 
the  land  law,  the  property  was  abandoned  in  later 
years. 

In  making  her  trips  back  and  forth  from  the  ranch 
on  Rock  Creek  to  the  college,  Chiquita  watched  the 
marvelous  growth  of  that  great  stretch  of  country  be 
tween  the  Missouri  River  and  the  Rocky  Mountains 
with  sinking  heart. 

To  Jack  she  confided  her  worst  fears.  "  The  Great 
Manitou  of  the  Utes  has  been  conquered  by  the  Great 
Spirit  of  the  white  man,"  she  was  wont  to  remark  as 
her  knowledge  of  the  Christian  religion  advanced. 

In  truth,  Chiquita  had  ground  for  her  fears.  Lead- 
ville,  with  its  never  ceasing  output  of  silver  which 
rolled  in  a  continuous  stream  toward  the  great  man 
ufacturing  centers  of  the  East,  was  welcomed  by  the 


COLLEGE  VACATIONS  191 

idle,  labor  seeking  armies  as  the  Mecca  of  the  world. 
The  prominent  transportation  companies  sent  emis 
saries  to  all  the  great  farming  regions  of  Europe, 
colonizing  emigrants  to  enter  the  immense  unculti 
vated  sections  traversed  by  their  respective  charters  in 
the  attempt  to  make  their  railways  profitable.  Train 
load  after  train  load  of  hardy,  well-to-do  Russians, 
Norwegians,  Swedes  and  Germans  rolled  into 
the  fertile  valleys,  peopling  the  arid  wastes  and 
starting  the  building  of  villages,  towns  and  cities 
along  the  railway  like  unto  tales  of  mythology.  The 
impetus  of  this  gigantic,  overwhelming  land-grabbing 
aroused  the  speculative  world  and  money  came  forth 
from  its  hiding  place  to  seek  investment.  Mills  began 
to  work  overtime.  Products  of  all  kinds  were  in  de 
mand,  for  the  comers  to  the  new  land  had  to  be  fed, 
clothed  and  entertained.  Prosperity  ruled. 

"  Jack,"  said  Chiquita,  as  the  annual  trip  was  made 
across  the  great  country  to  the  mine  near  the  close 
of  her  college  career,  "  see  the  effects  of  education 
and  civilization  in  these  immense  cities  where  ten 
years  ago  were  unplowed  lands,  open  prairie  and  tree 
less  wastes.  The  untutored  savage  must  go ;  yes, 
there  is  but  one  result  can  ensue,  and  while  it  makes 
me  feel  sad  for  my  people  yet  I  doubt  not  it  is  best  for 
humanity." 


CHAPTER  XII. 

JACK    WEDDED. 

Twas  the  last  of  June,  the  wedding  bells  pealed  joy 
ously,  the  church  organ  bellowed  noisily,  the  formality 
of  congratulations  followed  along  with  the  flutter  of 
praises  for  the  bride  and  groom,  which  they  received 
because  it  was  eminently  proper  and  expected ;  a  hur 
ried  breakfast,  still  more  hasty  good-byes,  the  whis 
tle  of  an  approaching  train  amid  the  excitement  of 
baggage  checked,  lost  or  forgotten,  a  rush  of  depot 
farewells,  a  waving  of  handkerchiefs,  a  few  misty 
eyes,  then  Hazel  had  a  chance  to  breathe  a  long  sigh 
of  relief  and  Jack  to  unburden  some  pent-up  adjec 
tives  as  he  picked  rice  out  of  his  wife's  hair  and  re 
moved  the  tell-tale  labels,  ribbons  and  signs  which 
decorated  umbrellas,  suit  cases  and  wraps. 

"  Jack,"  whispered  Hazel,  as  she  nestled  close  to 
him  in  the  railroad  coach  in  which  was  no  one  but 
an  old  man,  the  train  attendant  being  on  the  plat 
form.  "  I  was  '  skeert '  until  you  squeezed  my  hand, 
and  I  trembled  all  over.  I  thought  I  should  faint,  but 
I'm  your  wife,  ain't  I,  Jack?" 


JACK  WEDDED  193 

"  Yes,  you  are  an  old  married  lady  now,"  answered 
Jack,  dogmatically. 

"  An  old  married  lady,"  repeated  Hazel  slowly, 
lapsing  into  a  brown  study  for  a  moment.  "  Jack,  is 
it  such  an  awful  long  time  since  I  was  a  little  girl  and 
you  pulled  my  sled  on  the  hill  for  me?" 

"  No,  dear,  it  is  but  yesterday  and  it  will  be  yes 
terday  always,  even  if  we  live  for  a  hundred  years. 
Don't  you  know,  '  It's  only  once  in  life  one's  boots 
have  copper  toes,'  and  my  '  copper-toed  '  age  was  the 
happiest  part  of  my  life." 

"  Until  today,  Jack,"  interrupted  Hazel,  very  decid 
edly. 

"  Yes  ?"   inquiringly   replied  Jack. 

The  time  for  Jack  to  make  his  regular  visit  to  the 
mine  had  also  been  selected  for  his  wedding  trip  and 
Chiquita  was  to  join  the  newly  married  pair  at  Den 
ver,  then  all  three  were  to  "  do  "  Colorado,  finishing 
by  spending  a  few  weeks  in  Estes  Park  and  the  Buena 
Vista  ranch,  as  Chiquita  called  her  wonderful  summer 
abode,  later  going  on  to  California.  Jack  had  pur 
chased  a  fine  equipment  of  split  bamboo  fly  rods  and 
all  the  necessary  accompaniments,  while  Hazel,  equally 
ardent  in  her  admiration  of  the  sport  so  fascinating 
to  the  disciples  of  Izaak  Walton,  fashioned,  with  her 
own  hands,  elegant  rod  cases,  fly  books  and  natty  gar 
ments  for  the  outing.  Conspicuous  among  the  latter 


194  CHIQUITA 

was  a  short  walking  skirt  and  Eton  jacket  of  brown 
duck,  trimmed  with  bands  of  white  and  studded  with 
brass  buttons,  in  which  she  arrayed  herself  and  prac 
ticed  fly  casting  for  imaginary  trout  on  the  lawn.  A 
stop  of  an  hour  in  Boston  gave  them  barely  time  to 
transfer  across  the  city  of  crooked  streets  to  the  Al 
bany  station  and  to  settle  themselves  for  the  long 
ride  to  Chicago.  Jack  provided  in  advance  for  plenty 
of  room,  engaging  a  sleeper  section. 

By  the  time  the  train  had  shot  past  the  beautiful 
suburban  cities  of  Auburn  and  the  Newtons  and  rolled 
into  Framingham  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sheppard  were  quite 
at  home.  They  commenced  to  congratulate  themselves 
on  looking  like  old  married  folks  and  that  no  one 
would  suspect  them  of  being  bride  and  groom. 

"Jack,  you  know  something?"  said  Hazel  in  her 
speculative  way  that  always  meant  a  favor  to  come. 

"  Well,  sweetheart,  what  is  it  ?"  Jack  presumed  it 
was  a  glass  of  water  or  apples  or  that  her  pillow  was 
not  right. 

"  Well,  you  know." 

Jack  knew  then  that  something  more  than  ordinary 
was  coming;  that  "you  know"  indicated  not  an  un 
certainty,  but  was  the  usual  signal  for  a  "hold  up" — 
nothing  short  of  opera  tickets — and  the  young  man 
wondered  what  unsatisfied  desire  was  about  to  be 
"you  knowed." 


JACK  WEDDED  195 

"  Well,  you  know  that  little  descriptive  story  you 
wrote  of  Estes  Park,  read  it  to  me." 

So  Mr.  Jack  resurrected  the  tale  from  its  pocket  in 
his  suit  case  and  in  his  rich,  modulated  voice,  read 
the  story  for  the  x — th  time,  he  thought : 

"  Peerless  Estes !  That  miniature  world  wilderness 
of  wonder  and  delight !  Set  apart  for  the  tired  brain 
and  careworn  wreck  from  the  sepulchers  of  business 
activity!  A  sweet  paradise  nestled  amidst  the  en 
circling  snow-capped  peaks  whose  somber  heads  rise 
far  above  the  habitat  of  microbe  and  parasite.  Those 
silent  peaks  silhouetted  against  an  ethereal  dome  of 
deepest  blue  or  blackest  star-bespangled  canopy  of 
night!  The  mountain  air  of  Estes;  the  elixir  com 
pounded  by  nature  for  reinvigorating  battling  civiliza 
tion  ! 

"  This  enchanted  arena,  which  pen  fails  adequately 
to  drape  in  poetical  luxury,  was  dedicated  for  com 
bats  between  rest  and  toil,  health  and  sickness,  vitality 
and  decay.  The  angler  revels  in  luxury  with  the  num 
bers  of  easily  accessible  pools,  riffles,  meadows,  canons, 
the  most  distant  an  hour's  drive  and  the  majority  but 
ten  minutes'  walk.  Occasionally  deer  may  be  seen  and 
the  '  Big  Horn '  come  down  their  aerial  stairway 
from  the  clouds  to  lick  from  the  alkali  waters  in 
Horseshoe.  Wait  until  you  see  the  chattering  magpie, 
with  its  bronze  equipment  and  saucy  manners.  The 


196  CHIQUITA 

foe  of  this  long-tailed,  noisy  inhabitant  is  a  blue  jay 
(the  one  James  Whitcomb  Riley  calls  the  '  bird  with 
soldier  clothes.')  Hours  may  be  spent  witnessing  the 
strategy,  diplomacy,  anger,  spite  and  vindictiveness 
waged  by  these  bird  robbers  and  desperadoes,  for  both 
are  notorious  house  breakers,  murderers  and  thieves 
in  bird  land,  as  well  as  clever  in  appropriating  kitchen 
supplies  which  they  surreptitiously  seize  when  oppor 
tunity  is  presented. 

"In  Estes  a  Sabbath  quiet  broods  at  all  times,  broken 
only  by  the  swish  of  the  angler's  rod,  the  merry  peal 
of  frightened  laughter  as  some  maiden  lands  her  first 
trout,  or  the  crunching  of  horses'  hoofs  in  the  hard 
gravel  roads  as  a  pleasure  party  clatters  by.  Children 
romp  and  play  without  fear  of  mosquitoes  or  snakes, 
troublesome  poisonous  insects  being  banished  as  thor 
oughly  as  if  destroyed  by  some  mysterious  necroman 
cer. 

"  Where  in  all  the  world  can  the  lover  go" — 

"  Stop,  Jack,  look  into  the  depth  of  my  eyes  and 
skip  those  charming  nooks,  bowers  and  rock  girt  dens 
where  so  many  rehearse  the  preliminary  episode  which 
leads  to  the  altar.  I  know  that  by  heart ;  skip  the 
'  lover  '  pages  and  read  about  the  coach  ride  from 
Lyons,  for  we  will  get  to  Lyons  Friday,  won't  we  ?" 

So  after  a  glass  of  water,  an  orange  and  readjusting 
of  pillows,  Jack  picked  up  his  book  again. 


JACK  WEDDED  197 

"  The  ride  from  Lyons  is  so  fraught  with  surprises 
that  one  becomes  distracted.  Situated  as  it  is  in  a 
veritable  fiery  furnace  of  red,  rough,  ragged  preci 
pices,  monuments  of  the  eruptive  age  when  volcanoes 
vomited  billowy  lava  over  the  face  of  the  earth,  Lyons 
is  the  antithesis  of  what  the  traveler  expected  at  the 
end  of  a  tortuously  curved  railroad  track,  over  which 
the  '  mixed  '  train  of  freight  and  disgruntled  human 
ity  has  been  jerked,  jostled  and  jumped  along  for 
about  three  hours,  covering  forty  miles. 

"  But  a  delicious  dinner  awaits ;  generally  fried 
chicken,  southern  style.  This  does  not  mean  a  sun 
dried  remnant  of  a  wing,  or  the  active  extremity  of  a 
leg  with  a  burnt  bone  protruding  through  gristly  skin, 
but  a  nice,  big  piece  of  a  yellow-legged  Plymouth 
Rock,  the  real  article,  hatched  by  a  mother  hen 
acquainted  with  the  business  and  not  one  of  those 
Illinois  river  incubators  that  furnish  spring  chickens 
at  all  seasons  of  the  year  to  be  kept  well  frozen  in  cold 
storage  until  called  for.  This  chicken  is  fried  in 
ranch  butter  to  a  golden  russet  brown,  if  you  happen 
to  know  what  color  cooking  calls  for,  and  a  whole  lot 
of  it  comes  in  on  one  great  big  platter,  so  you  get  a 
chance  to  pick  a  good  joint,  but  any  part  of  such  a 
chicken  is  good." 

"  Jack,  you  are  putting  in  a  whole  lot  that  is  not  in 
that  book  just  to  make  me  hungry.  My  mouth  has 


198  CHIQUITA 

been  puckered  up  for  half  an  hour  to  get  a  bite  of  that 
'  yaller  leg.'  We  are  near  Springfield;  let's  eat." 

Suiting  the  action  to  the  word  they  joined  the  mot 
ley  throng  in  the  rush  for  the  dining-room,  as  the  train 
came  to  a  stop  for  forty  minutes. 

Fresh  Connecticut  River  shad  and  roe,  new  green 
peas,  new  potatoes  in  cream,  lettuce,  radishes. 

"  There,  that  will  kill  your  chicken  fever  for  a  time," 
said  Jack,  as  he  ordered  for  both. 

"  You  may  order  me  a  piece  of  lemon  pie,  Jack.  I 
see  some  on  the  sideboard  and  the  meringue  is  about 
two  inches  thick." 

"  We  want  to  go  over  and  see  the  train  for  the 
north  pull  out ;  might  see  some  Bozrah  people, 
Hazel,"  said  Jack,  after  the  dinner,  "  it  leaves  five 
minutes  before  we  do." 

"  Oh,  sure  enough,  and  there  are  a  lot  of  students 
just  going  home.  I  suppose  Chiquita  is  in  Denver  by 
this  time." 

"  Hazel,  there  is  old  Deacon  Petherbridge  and  Elam 
Tucker.  I'll  bet  they've  been  down  to  New  Haven  on 
a  horse  trade.  You  know  Elam  had  the  big  livery  sta 
ble  that  burned  down  when  you  were  eight  and  I  was 
just  eleven.  You  remember  the  Tucker  boy  was  fool 
ish  and  set  fire  to  the  hay,  '  Wanted  to  see  it  burn,'  he 
told  the  town  marshal.  But  we  must  get  aboard." 

The  last  beams  of  rose-tinted  sunlight  percolated 


JACK  WEDDED  199 

through  the  gathering  darkness  as  the  train  sped  on 
its  way,  winding  in  and  out  among  the  hills  of  west 
ern  Massachusetts.  Hazel  watched  the  fading  pano 
rama  as  it  dissolved  in  the  gloom  of  the  night.  She 
was  thinking  of  her  happy  school  days  among  those 
very  hills  through  which  she  was  now  gliding,  a  one- 
day  bride,  wife  of  her  childhood  lover.  As  the  scenes 
vanished  she  shyly  snuggled  a  little  closer  and  whis 
pered,  "  Jack,  we  will  always  be  happy,  won't  we?" 

"  Why,  yes ;  but  what  made  you  ask  it  ?" 

"  Oh,  just  'cause,"  continuing,  "  I  kinder  wish  we 
had  gone  around  by  Hoosac  tunnel,  we  could  have 
seen  '  Old  Bozrah  '  hills  and"- 

"  I  guess  my  new  wife  is  a  little  homesick,"  consol 
ingly  interrupted  Jack.  "  Suppose  we  visit  Old  Boz 
rah  when  we  come  back  and  have  a  famous  time  going 
nutting  and  picking  autumn  leaves" — 

"  And  getting  ivy  poisoned  so  my  face  will  be  all 
spots  next  winter.  I  guess  not." 

The  obsequious,  ebony-hued  gem'man,  in  white  coat 
with  black  buttons,  interrupted  the  first  family  differ 
ences. 

"  If  yoh  doan  mind,  I'd  laik  to  fix  up  yoh  section ; 
got  so  much  to  do  won't  git  through  'fore  midnight." 

"  All  right,  where  can  we  go  ?  This  one  across  here 
is  unoccupied,"  replied  Jack,  wishing  to  accommodate. 

"  Dat  section,  sah,  will  not  be  taken  until  we  neah 


200  CHIQUITA 

Albany,  sab,"  came  from  the  man  of  tips  and  corpora 
tion  dignity. 

They  had  been  seated  but  a  few  moments  when  the 
occupant  of  the  section  next  forward  of  their  own  was 
obliged  to  find  temporary  quarters  as  the  ever-oblig 
ing  servant  of  monopoly  touched  his  cap  for  permis 
sion.  A  lady  of  prepossessing  countenance,  fault 
lessly  gowned  and  of  gracious  manner,  knocked,  as 
it  were,  at  Jack's  door,  addressing  him,  "  May  I  occupy 
this  vacant  seat  while  the  porter  arranges  my  domicile  ? 
Pardon  the  intrusion,  but  all  other  avenues  seem  al 
ready  taxed." 

"  Certainly,  it  is  no  intrusion ;  in  fact,  we  shall  be 
glad  to  have  you,  as  you  have  had  a  long  siege  of  soli 
taire,"  replied  Jack. 

"  I  do  get  so  lonesome  on  my  trips  that  I  sometimes 
wish  some  one  else  had  the  position,"  answered  the 
lady  with  that  assurance  which  accompanies  experi 
ence. 

"  Gathering  from  that,  I  judge  you  travel  for  busi 
ness  instead  of  pleasure,"  said  Jack. 

"  Yes,  I  make  two  trips  a  year  on  business.  I  am 
buyer  for  Stoddersmith  of  Boston,  and  am  on  my 
way  to  Colorado  and  California.  I  shall  visit  Estes 
Park,  Manitou  and  other  points,  then  go  to  India  and 
China/' 

Jack  was  no  more  surprised  than  if  she  had  told  him 


JACK  WEDDED  201 

she  was  quartermaster  in  the  navy,  or  a  field  marshal 
in  the  German  army.  He  looked  incredulous.  The 
lady  handed  him  her  card,  which  read,  "Miss  Asquith, 
Stoddersmith's,  Boston,"  remarking  that  if  it  would 
be  agreeable  she  would  tell  them  how  it  happened  a 
woman  occupied  so  important  a  position,  and  naively 
added,  "  The  only  firm  in  the  world  who  employs  one 
of  our  sex  in  this  department,  even  as  a  saleslady." 

"  Oh,  do  tell  us,"  said  Hazel,  and  to  Jack,  "  Just 
think  of  a  woman  going  alone  to  India  to  buy  goods !" 

"  This  trip  is  really  a  part  of  my  twenty-fifth  anni 
versary  with  the  firm," — 

Hazel  interrupted.  "  Pardon  me,  but  do  you  mean 
to  say  you  have  been  twenty-five  years  with  one  firm  ?" 

"  Yes,  and  I  am  but  forty-five.  I  went  to  work,  a 
girl  of  fifteen,  in  one  of  the  then  larger  western  cities 
and  after  five  years  concluded  I  would  prefer  an  east 
ern  house.  New  York  did  not  offer  the  inducement 
which  I  found  in  Boston.  I  was  placed  in  the  fur 
stock  in  winter  and  lighter  wraps  in  summer.  For 
some  reason,  after  I  had  been  with  them  ten  years, 
they  transferred  me  temporarily  into  the  present  de 
partment,  later  returning  me  for  one  winter  to  the 
furs.  At  the  end  of  that  season  I  was  given  the  option 
of  management  of  the  entire  wrap  stock  or  a  perma 
nent  place  in  the  other  line.  I  preferred  the  latter.  I 
did  not  feel  confidence  enough  in  myself  to  be  a  buyer. 


202  CHIQUITA 

You  see,  if  certain  styles  of  goods  fail  to  '  go,'  fail  to 
become  popular  or  to  bring  a  good  profit,  there  is  a 
vacancy  and  a  new  buyer  takes  up  the  department. 
My  sales  in  the  new  stock  increased  steadily.  It  be 
came  positively  embarrassing  to  me  at  times  when 
customers  refused  to  have  their  wants  attended  to  by 
the  men  in  the  stock,  men  who  had  been  there  many 
years  longer  than  I  had.  But  the  fact  was,  it  finally 
became  necessary  for  me  to  make  appointments  just 
the  same  as  dentists  do  in  order  to  give  the  attention 
necessary  to  the  trade.  Three  years  ago  I  made  my 
first  attempt  in  buying  from  manufacturers  in  France. 
That  trip  was  one  continual  round  of  '  stage  fright,' 
and  even  after  the  goods  were  in  the  house  I  worried 
myself  sick  for  fear  the  end  of  the  season  would  be  a 
'  blank,'  as  the  boys  say  about  lottery  tickets,  but  the 
books  showed  a  very  profitable  period  in  the  face  of 
grave  reverses  to  the  general  trade.  And  now,  to 
show  their  confidence  in  me  as  well  as  making  me  the 
magnificent  present  of  a  trip  to  India,  I  am  on  my  v/ay 
to  buy  goods.  Isn't  it  lovely  of  them?" 

"  Well,  you  deserve  it,  even  more  if  anything.  Just 
imagine  working  for  one  firm  a  quarter  of  a  century," 
spoke  up  Hazel  very  energetically. 

"  Many  firms,"  said  Jack,  weighing  his  words, 
"  send  '  style  hunters  '  abroad  for  the  effect  the  mail 
from  a  foreign  port  has  on  their  customers.  Half  the 


JACK  WEDDED  203 

time  these  '  hunters  '  stay  long  enough  to  mail  their 
announcements,  like  as  not  printed  in  the  United 
States,  look  at  a  few  hats  or  garments,  perhaps  buy  a 
'  pattern  '  or  two,  and  then  return  home.  Other  firms 
do  send  buyers  into  various  ports  abroad.  Some  have 
resident  buyers,  but  I  never  knew  before  of  any  firm 
sending  a  buyer  from  the  ranks  of  the  fair  sex  to  the 
Orient.  Let  me  compliment  you,  Miss  Asquith,  on 
your  high  achievement.  It  certainly  demonstrates  the 
advancement  of  woman's  sphere.  But  may  I  ask  you 
a  pertinent  question  regarding  the  social  part  of  your 
life?" 

"  Certainly,  I  can  guess  what  you  want  to  know,  and 
let  me  say,  at  first,  I  used  to  feel  dreadfully  when  I 
found  that  the  working  girl  is  to  a  great  degree  os 
tracised  by  what  is  called  society.  But  I  learned  that 
society  is  treacherous.  If  one  has  lots  of  money  to 
spend  there  are  certain  attractions  that  it  takes  money 
to  enjoy  or  provide.  The  different  degrees  of  wealth 
provide  their  respective  scale  of  eligible  members  to 
make  up  their  circle  of  society,  and  the  lesser  lights 
are  eclipsed  or  paled  into  insignificance  by  the  grander 
candle  power.  It  is  the  same  in  business,  professions, 
art  and  politics,  so  I  found  that  my  sphere  was  prob 
ably  cast  in  just  as  pleasant  places  among  my  class  of 
those  who  work  for  a  living,  as  though  I  had  been 
evolved  by  marriage  or  fortune  into  a  society  star  of 


204  CHIQUITA 

any  magnitude,  where  the  jealousies  and  '  snubs  '  are 
even  harder  to  be  endured  because  of  the  still  greater 
lustre  found  or  imagined  among  more  brilliant  or  ex 
clusive  sets  into  which  I  could  not  enter.  Do  I  make 
it  clear?" 

"  Very ;  indeed,  you  echo  my  own  theory.  But  I 
could  not  have  expressed  it  as  clearly  as  you  have," 
replied  Jack. 

"  After  all,"  continued  Miss  Asquith,  "  I  doubt  if 
the  very  rich  obtain  as  much  unalloyed  pleasure  from 
life  as  do  the  middle  classes  who  do  not  aspire  to  great 
ness  and  are  educated  from  infancy  to  make  them 
selves  happy  in  the  strata  to  which  they  are  indigen 
ous,  as  one  may  put  it.  They  are  free  to  come  and  go 
any  and  everywhere,  while  the  wealthy  commence  life 
in  charge  of  a  nurse  girl,  are  educated  by  private  tu 
tors,  attended  by  chaperones  in  their  courtship  and 
graduate  simply  to  be  put  in  charge  of  the  butler,  foot 
man,  coachman  and  maid.  But  I  guess  I  have  worn 
you  out  with  my  sermon  on  riches,  and  will  say  good 
night." 

Hazel  and  Jack  joined  in  their  good  night  and  dis 
cussed  the  subject  some  time,  deciding  to  ask  Miss 
Asquith  to  meet  Chiquita  and  the  four  go  as  one  party 
to  Estes  Park.  As  Hazel  said,  "  It  will  give  Chiquita 
a  grand  chance  to  study  another  phase  of  the  life  of 
her  white  sister,  and,  Jack,  I  guess  the  red  man's 


JACK  WEDDED  205 

squaw  is  not  alone  in  the  field  of  drudgery,  after 
all." 

Owing  to  through  tickets  having  been  procured,  it 
became  necessary  for  Jack  to  go  one  route  while  Miss 
Asquith  took  another  from  Chicago  to  Denver,  ar 
rangements  being  made  to  that  end  the  day  following. 
Jack  had  to  get  his  tickets  vised  at  the  Chicago  office 
and  for  some  technical  reason  the  matter  was  of  such 
a  nature  that  it  required  the  O.  K.  of  the  General  Pas 
senger  Agent.  As  he  awaited  an  audience,  the  official 
being  for  the  moment  engaged  with  another  person, 
evidently  a  stranger  to  city  methods  and  customs,  Jack 
struggled  with  a  long  forgotten,  dimly  familiar  some 
thing  about  the  man  that  recalled  brain  impressions, 
which  they  say  are  never  destroyed  when  once  im 
printed.  He  had  been  directed  to  see  Mr.  Lillis  at 
such  a  room,  in  such  a  building,  but  that  name  carried 
no  suggestion.  It  did  not  seem  to  fit  the  groping 
fancy  of  his  mind.  Still  the  name  seemed  to  associate 
itself  with  the  party  then  engaging  the  General  Pas 
senger  Agent.  As  the  stranger  turned  to  go  he 
stopped  in  front  of  Jack,  looked  at  him  a  moment,  then 
put  out  his  hand,  "  Shake,  old  man ;  guess  you  don't 
re-cog-nize  Cal  Wagner  in  his  store  clothes.  I  jess 
cum  out  to  God's  country  once  more  afore  I  pass  in 
my  chips  to  see  how  things  look  in  civilization.  How 
be  ye?" 


206  CHIQUITA 

Of  course  Jack  then  remembered  his  quondam 
friend  during  the  races  on  the  Ute  reservation,  and 
the  name  Lillis  puzzled  him  more  than  ever.  He 
greeted  Cal  in  a  hearty  manner,  introducing  Hazel. 

"  Wait  a  minute  while  I  get  my  tickets  fixed,  then 
I'll  have  a  chat  with  you,"  said  Jack. 

As  he  presented  his  tickets,  stating  the  object  of 
his  errand,  he  noticed  the  official  had  a  glass  eye  and 
scar  near  his  ear.  When  the  tickets  were  returned  a 
name  written  across  them  identified  so  unmistakably  a 
part  of  Jack's  "  vision  "  that  he  immediately  recalled 
the  story  which  Cal  Wagner  told  him  years  before  of 
the  first  grave  in  Silver  Cliff.  The  name  was  "  Bert 
Lillis."  Allowing  his  curiosity  to  prevail,  he  asked 
abruptly,  "  Mr.  Lillis,  were  you  ever  in  Silver  Cliff?" 

The  official  started,  a  shiver  ran  through  his  frame, 
the  color  left  his  face  until  it  was  like  a  piece  of  Parian 
marble,  while  he  replied  just  audibly,  helplessly, 
"  Yes,"  adding  quickly,  "  Come  in,  I  guess  you  must 
know.  I — did  you  ever  see  me  before?" 

Jack  shook  his  head,  but  turning  to  Cal  said,  "  Cal, 
this  is  Bert  Lillis,  formerly  of  Silver  Cliff." 

Cal  looked  from  one  to  the  other  and  replied, 
"  Guess  you  are  mistaken.  Lillis  is  dead  many  years." 

"  No,  he  is  still  alive,"  said  the  official.  "  Come 
in." 

Upon    being   seated,   no    one    seemed    desirous    of 


JACK  WEDDED  207 

broaching  the  painful  subject  uppermost  in  their 
minds,  while  Hazel  was  completely  mystified  as  to  the 
conduct  of  the  three  men.  Finally,  with  a  great  ef 
fort  to  restrain  his  feelings,  his  head  bowed  upon  his 
breast,  the  railroad  man  said  in  broken  sentences :  "I 
— for  fifteen  years  a  blackened  pall  has  shadowed  my 
path,  a  floating,  abandoned  derelict  moored  to  my 
heart  has  dragged  me  against  the  buffeting  waves  of 
the  sea  of  life  or  held  me  helpless  in  the  trough  as 
storm  crests  broke  over  me  in  my  misery.  A  man 
marked  with  the  brand  which  God  placed  upon  Cain 
for  the  murder  of  his  brother,  yet  I  was  exonerated 
by  the  jury.  I  shot  Les  McAvoy  in  the  discharge  of 
my  duty.  I  was  a  mere  boy,  without  money,  scantily 
clad,  in  search  of  wealth  with  which  to  support  my 
mother,  and  had  to  accept  the  only  opportunity  pre 
sented  in  that  lawless  mining  camp.  I  had  no  tools 
or  trade  and  was  not  strong  enough  to  do  the  work  re 
quired  of  miners,  and  the  camp  had  not  advanced 
far  enough  to  give  employment  to  the  ordinary  run 
of  commercial  wage  earners.  It  was  instilled  into  me 
in  early  life  to  do  my  duty  in  whatever  capacity  I 
served,  under  all  circumstances,  and  I  considered  it  my 
duty  to  protect  that  gambling  table  even  at  the  risk  of 
my  own  life.  The  years  of  mental  anguish  which  I 
have  lived  since  that  fatal  moment,  and  the  years 
which  my  poor  old  mother  has  had  her  head  bowed  in 
sorrow  " — 


208  CHIQUITA 

"  Wait  a  moment,  Mr.  Lillis,"  interrupted  Cal. 
"  You  did  not  kill  Les  McAvoy." 

"  What  is  that — you  say  I  did  not  ?  Oh !  I  wish — it 
is  good  of  you  to  try  to  erase  the  stigma,  but  trie  evi 
dence,  the  facts,  the  coroner's  verdict,  '  at  the  hands 
of  Bert  Lillis.'  Oh,  no,  no" — sadly  commented  Lillis. 

"  Mr.  Lillis,  I  will  prove  to  you  what  I  say  is  truth, 
and  if  the  grave  of  Les  McAvoy  has  remained  un 
touched  all  these  years,  the  evidence  is  in  the  coffin," 
replied  Cal. 

"  Tell  it !  tell  it !  prove,  first,  that  you  were  there ; 
describe  the  scene" — 

"  You  were  dealing,  you  raised  a  Colt's  old-fash 
ioned,  powder-and-ball  navy  six-shooter  from  yer 
lap" — 

"  Yes,  I  had  cleaned  up  that  old  gun  and  loaded  it 
with  fresh  powder,  ball  and  new  caps  that  day.  They 
told  me  to" — interrupted  Mr.  Lillis. 

"  Sam  Tupper  sat  in  a  chair  on  top  of  a  dry-goods 
box;  he  was  lookout.  A  man  with  mustache,  dead 
black,  like  India  ink.  Les  did  not  like  your  remarks 
and  started  to  rise  up  in  his  chair,  his  hand  goin'  to 
his  pistol  pocket.  You  lifted  that  big  Colt's  with  both 
hands  and  as  soon  as  the  muzzle  of  it  was  pintin'  up 
and  away  from  your  own  body  you  pulled  the  trigger. 
Les  had  his  own  weapon  out ;  you  saw  it,  was  fright 
ened,  dropped  your  own  gun  and  tried  to  slip  under 


JACK  WEDDED  209 

the  table.  As  you  went  down  Les  placed  the  muzzle 
of  his  gun  agin  yer  eye  and  cut  loose.  While  this  was 
goin'  on  Tupper  never  moved  until  he  saw  a  chanst  to 
open  a  drawer,  grab  a  pearl-handled,  silver-plated 
shootin'  iron.  He  stood  up;  advanced  one  step,  and 
fired  downwardly  at  Les  McAvoy's  breast.  Les 
writhed,  turned  completely  around,  his  hand  convul 
sively  endeavoring  to  get  an  aim  at  Tupper,  who  stood 
with  a  malicious  grin  waiting  for  McAvoy  again  to 
face  him,  ready  to  fire  again  if  need  be,  but  he  saw 
it  was  useless.  As  McAvoy  finally  pivoted,  the  pis 
tol  dropped  to  the  floor,  and  with  a  crash  he  fell  flat 
on  his  back,  dead.  You  were  under  the  table.  Tup 
per  stepped  from  the  box,  his  six-shooter  a  smokin' 
and  said,  '  You  got  it  that  time/  then  put  the  gun  in 
his  pocket." 

"  Where  were  you  ?"  exclaimed  Mr.  Lillis. 

"  Right  agin  the  wall,  and  McAvoy's  head  struck 
at  my  feet.  One  man  saw  this  besides  myself.  He 
wore  three  gold  nuggets  on  his  shirt  front,  and  me  and 
him  figgered  it  out  that  night  and  again  the  next 
morning,  but  mum  was  the  word.  We  knew  the 
gamblers  would  kill  us  both  if  we  told  what  we  seen. 
I  left  the  place  and  returned  just  as  the  last  testimony 
was  being  given.  There  was  no  evidence  given  of 
Tupper  having  fired  a  shot.  As  the  body  lay  upon  its 
side  on  the  floor  there  was  one  wound  in  the  breast 


210  CHIQUITA 

near  the  left  center.  Just  under  the  skin  in  the  small 
of  the  back  was  a  dark,  cone-shaped  substance.  It 
was  the  lead  bullet  from  that  pearl-handled  six- 
shooter.  The  round  bullet  from  your  Colt's  navy 
went  through  the  roof." 

"  Gentlemen/'  said  Lillis,  "  I  am  now  able  to  relieve 
my  mind  from  this  hideous  vision,  and  it  will  bring 
happiness  to  my  mother.  I  can  see  now  why  the  gam 
blers  removed  me  to  Rosita  and  furnished  me  with 
transportation  and  money  to  leave  Colorado  when  I 
recovered  sufficiently  to  travel.  The  ball  from  Mc- 
Avoy's  pistol  caught  the  lower  portion  of  my  eye,  and 
the  turning  of  my  head  just  before  he  fired  caused  the 
bullet  to  pass  out  near  my  ear,  instead  of  going  into 
my  brain." 

"  We  must  go  now,  as  it  is  near  train  time,"  said 
Jack. 

"  Me,  too,"  said  Cal. 

"Are  you  going  west?"  asked  Jack. 

"  Same  train  you  take,  I  guess,"  replied  Cal. 

"  Gentlemen,"  said  Mr.  Lillis,  "  I  regret  you  leave 
so  soon.  I  would  like  to  entertain  you  if  you  care  to 
stay  over.  If  not  now,  at  some  future  time ;  and,  Mr. 
Wagner,  you  have  done  me  a  great  favor.  My  poor 
old  mother  can  live  the  rest  of  her  life  peacefully. 
Good-bye!  good-bye!" 

As  the  train  pulled  out  of  the  station  on  the  way 


JACK  WEDDED  211 

to  Denver  the  principal  topic  of  conversation  was  the 
remarkable  coincidence  of  the  rencounter  of  Jack  and 
Cal,  emphasized  by  the  more  remarkable  meeting  of 
Cal  and  Bert  Lillis. 

"  Well,  that  beats  me,"  said  Cal. 

"  I've  got  another  surprise  in  Denver  for  you,"  said 
Jack. 

"  Will  it  beat  this  one?" 

"  Wait  until  you  see  our  old  friend,  Chiquita." 

"  Chiquita,  the  injun  gal?"  asked  Cal,  inquiringly. 

"  Yes,  Yamanatz's  daughter." 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

ESTES  PARK. 

The  renewal  of  the  acquaintance  between  Jack  and 
Cal  was  an  opportune  one.  As  each  unfolded  his  past 
and  expectations  for  the  future  there  seemed  to  be  a 
bond  of  mutual  sympathy  form  unlike  the  ordinary 
friendships. 

"  Jack,"  said  Cal,  confidentially,  "  I  have  laid  up  a 
good  pile  of  '  dust '  and  got  as  likely  a  ranch  outfit  as 
any  of  'em.  I  ain't  so  much  on  talk  as  some  fellers 
with  slippery  tongues,  neither  is  any  one  going  to  get 
the  worst  of  it  as  they  do  what  deals  with  some  of 
them  slippery  talkers.  When  Cal  says  a  thing's  so,  it's 
so,  just  as  sure  as  gun's  made  of  iron.  Now,  I'm  git- 
tin'  on  in  years,  an'  git  lonesome  as  a  settin'  hen  with 
out  airy  egg.  I  ain't  a  pinin'  away,  but  I  would  like 
to  gin  some  desarvin'  woman  a  good  home.  I'd 
kinder  like  to  live  in  Denver  and  have  a  house  up 
among  them  nabobs.  I  don't  expect  that  big  red  stone 
quarry  is  goin'  to  give  out  right  away  and  I  just  as 
lieve  as  not  use  some  of  it  to  build  a  decent  mansion. 


ESTES  PARK  213 

Then  I've  got  a  few  thousand  steers; — they's  one 
bunch  of  eighteen  hundred  fat  ones,  every  one  of  them 
beef  to  the  heels,  true  Herefords,  got  the  Hereford 
mark,  that  will  run  twelve  to  fourteen  hundred  pounds 
apiece,  and  prime  beeves  are  good  as  cash  anywhere. 
I  think  that  bunch  of  steers  ought  to  provide  a  pretty 
good  place  to  live  in  as  long  as  the  stone  don't  cost 
nothin'." 

Cal  stopped  and  looked  curiously  at  Jack,  who  was 
looking  curiously  at  him. 

"  You  are  not  so  awful  poor.  Been  about  fifteen 
years  making  it  ?  "  asked  Jack  musingly. 

"  Well,  longer  than  that.  I  took  up  that  stone 
ranch  twenty  years  ago.  Never  thought  much  of  it 
until  Denver  got  into  the  buildin'  boom  and  some 
feller  was  cartin'  away  my  red  rock  without  asking — 
the  cattle,  well  in  freightin'  and  ranchin'  I  run  onto 
many  a  '  maverick '  durin'  the  spring  round-ups,  then 
some  young  tenderfoot  would  get  a  rich  uncle  to  stake 
him;  but  when  one  of  them  March  blizzards  struck 
his  weavin',  staggerin',  half-famished  bunch  he  would 
get  sick  and  be  glad  to  turn  over  his  travelin'  bone- 
yard  for  a  couple  of  hundred  or  less,  an'  I  kept  addin' 
to  'em  until  I  got  into  raisin'  nothin'  but  thorough 
breds,"  answered  Cal. 

"  Let  me  tell  you  something,  Cal.  I'll  put  you  onto 
the  right  track  and  if  you  can't  manage  to  do  the  right 


214  CHIQUITA 

thing  at  the  right  time,  you'll  have  to  live  in  that  red 
house  by  yourself,  see  ?  " 

"  I  savvey." 

Hazel  commenced  to  smile.  She  had  joined  in  the 
general  conversation  until  Cal  got  sentimental,  but 
when  Jack  joined  forces  with  the  honest  man  of  the 
plains  who  acknowledged  to  picking  up  "  mavericks," 
although  she  did  not  know  what  they  were,  still  she 
felt  that  it  was  some  "  get  something  for  nothing  " 
scheme  and  she  was  afraid  Jack  might  acquire  bad 
habits;  then  she  was  inclined  to  resent  any  effort  on 
the  part  of  Mr.  Jack  to  become  a  promoter  of  some 
matrimonial  enterprise,  so  she  smiled  and  senten- 
tiously  remarked :  "  I  guess  you  need  not  bind  yourself 
to  deliver  any  foreign  goods  for  domestic  purposes, 
free  of  charge,  Mr.  Jack." 

"  Now  listen,  my  dear,"  said  Jack.  "  Wait  until 
you  learn  what's  trumps  before  you  tip  your  hand. 
I'm  going  to  invite  Cal  to  go  with  us  to  Estes  Park. 
He  can  be  so  useful  to  me,  you  know,  if  I  want  to  go 
out  for  a  deer  hunt ;  then  he  can  pilot  Miss  Asquith 
over  the  big  rocks  when  I  have  my  arms  full  attending 
to  you,"  said  Jack,  with  a  merry  twinkle. 

"  Oh,  ho !  so  it  is  Miss  Asquith  you  seek  to  waylay, 
is  it?  Well,  that  is  different.  Say,  I  guess  I'll  have  to 
throw  up  my  hand.  I  have  no  trumps!  success  to 
you.'" 


ESTES  PARK  215 

Cal  laughed,  Jack  made  merry  over  the  prospect, 
and  Hazel  could  not  help  being  amused  at  the  deliber 
ate  plot  to  kidnap  a  woman's  heart  who  had  for  twen 
ty-five  years  earned  her  own  living. 

"  Cal,  there  is  a  Miss  Asquith  going  to  meet  us  in 
Denver  and  join  us  on  a  trip  to  Estes  Park.  Just  you 
come  along  and  help  me  take  care  of  the  ladies.  You 
have  nothing  on  hand  and  you  will  enjoy  the  trip  any 
way.  Now  that  is  all  I  want.  If  you  get  tangled  up 
in  any  foolishness  " — 

"  Now  mind,  if  I  do  go,  and  get  half  a  chance  I'll 
stake  a  claim  sure  as  gun's  made  of  iron,"  jokingly 
remarked  Cal.  "  I  will  have  to  go  to  the  ranch  first : 
I'll  stop  off  at  Hugo  and  be  in  Estes  in  a  few  days. 
I'll  find  you  all  right,"  so  Jack  and  Hazel  continued 
alone  on  their  journey. 

"  Say,  Jack,"  said  Hazel,  after  Cal  left  them,  "  what 
a  joke  'it  would  be  if  Mr.  Wagner  should  marry  Miss 
Asquith." 

"  Why  shouldn't  he?  Of  course  she  is  much  better 
educated ;  he  has  the  gruff  ways  of  the  rich  frontiers 
man,  but  he  is  rich  and  not  so  much  older  than  she  is. 
He  will  give  her  an  elegant  home,  where  he  will  be 
like  the  historic  '  bull  in  a  china  shop.'  " 

"  Just  what  was  in  my  mind,"  interrupted  Hazel. 
"  Do  you  remember  she  said  two  or  three  times,  jok 
ing,  of  course,  '  I  don't  see  why  I  never  could  find  a 


216  CHIQUITA 

farmer  who  would  take  pity  on  me.' '  Both  laughed 
heartily  at  such  a  prospect.  The  long,  dusty  ride  over 
sand  hills,  through  dreary,  brown  sunburned  cattle 
ranges  from  Cheyenne  Wells  to  Hugo  and  Hugo  to 
the  end  of  their  journey,  finally  came  to  an  end.  The 
welcome  snow-capped  peaks  freshened  the  super 
heated  atmosphere  and  Denver  with  all  its  wealth, 
health  and  climate  was  reached.  It  did  not  take  long 
for  Jack  and  Hazel  to  find  Chiquita,  and  within  an 
hour  or  two  Miss  Asquith  arrived.  They  were  in  a 
mood  to  enjoy  all  the  sights  of  the  big  city  of  the 
plains;  but  what  chiefly  impressed  the  new  visitors 
was  the  clearness  of  the  air,  the  bracing,  inspiring 
vigor  which  it  imparted,  and  the  absence  of  that  after 
math,  which  always  followed  exercise  in  the  lower 
altitudes  on  the  lakes  or  sea  coast. 

The  slow  dragging,  mixed  train  deposited  its  bur 
den  in  Lyons  just  as  the  book  said  it  would,  and  the 
red  volcanic  rocks  baked  them,  and  the  "  yaller 
legged "  chicken,  in  all  its  delicious  russet  brown 
jacket,  was  served  to  the  hungry  quartet,  who  re 
newed  their  grumbling  on  the  park  hack  as  the  driver 
cracked  his  whip  and  the  wheels  crunched  their  way 
through  the  deep  hot  sand.  Slowly  the  great  vehicle 
groaned  along  for  perhaps  a  mile,  when  a  sudden  turn 
in  the  road  brought  them  to  a  bridge  which  spanned 
a  clear  sparkling  stream,  and  the  ascent  of  the  first 


ESTES  PARK  217 

lofty  foothills  was  begun.  Eyes  brightened,  ejacula 
tions  of  surprise  and  delight  followed  each  other  in 
rapid  succession  as  "  Johnnie  "  cracked  his  whip  and 
dexterously  guided  the  now  thoroughly  contented 
coachful  of  pleasure  seekers  along  a  narrow  ledge, 
winding  around  some  precipice  or  taking  a  run  down 
some  steep  declivity  that  caused  the  timid  to  shriek 
and  the  blood  to  tingle  in  the  more  reckless.  Up, 
nearer  and  nearer  the  sky,  ever  leaving  the  top  of  the 
next  hill  below  them,  until  the  summit  was  reached. 

Coats  that  had  been  discarded  because  of  the  heat 
were  resumed,  light  wraps  were  called  for  by  the 
ladies,  and  the  descent  towards  the  Park  commenced. 
Great  stretches  of  pine  forest  fringed  the  barren  rocks 
on  some  of  the  long  ridges,  while  on  others  a  chaotic 
interwoven  mass  of  tangled  "  dead  wood "  silently 
proclaimed  the  terrible  devastation  of  the  devouring 
mountain  fire. 

As  the  first  view  of  the  Park  greeted  the  travelers, 
a  merry  shout  rent  the  air,  the  coach  pulled  up  at  the 
side  of  the  toll  road  and  everybody  alighted  to 
"  stretch,"  get  out  still  heavier  wraps,  and  make  ready 
for  the  remaining  four  hours'  ride.  Hazel  had  ex 
hausted  her  supply  of  English  suitable  for  the  occa 
sion,  while  Jack  and  Chiquita  enjoyed  the  attempts 
of  Miss  Asquith  to  do  the  subject  justice  in  "  shop  " 
words. 


218  CHIQUITA 

Even  the  heavier  wraps  were  none  too  warm  as  the 
coach  reached  the  foot  of  the  last  incline  and  rolled 
easily  over  the  hard,  gritty,  well  kept  turnpike.  The 
meadow  stretched  before  them,  the  Big  Thompson 
easily  distinguished  in  its  center  and  the  unbroken  line 
of  mountains  walling  up  to  the  sky,  shut  them  out 
from  the  noisy  world  which  lay  just  beyond  Long's 
Peak,  whose  snow-white  night  cap  was  then  a  mass 
of  burnished  copper  from  the  last  rays  of  the  setting 
sun. 

"  Oh,  Jack,  how  supremely  grand,"  was  all  Hazel 
ventured. 

"  It  is  just  lovely,"  murmured  Miss  Asquith. 

The  great  triangle  sent  forth  its  warning  that  din 
ner  was  waiting,  and  reluctantly  they  entered  the 
house  where  the  warmth  of  a  little  wood  fire  took  the 
chill  off  the  crisp  air. 

"  Think  of  it,  90  degrees  in  Chicago  yesterday,  to 
day  a  fire  to  warm  the  house !  "  exclaimed  Hazel. 

"  It  is  just  lovely,"  said  Miss  Asquith. 

"  Dinner,"  shouted  a  white-aproned  darky. 

A  great  platter  of  deliciously  browned  brook  trout 
stood  appetizingly  in  the  center  of  a  round  table,  and 
the  four  chairs  were  immediately  occupied  by  four 
hungry  people,  who  waived  all  ceremony,  as  well  as 
the  every  day  stereotyped  roast  beef,  making  trout  the 
Alpha  and  Omega  of  their  first  Estes  Park  repast. 


ESTES  PARK  219 

The  sight-seeing  was  begun  at  daybreak,  Jack  rout 
ing  out  his  party  in  order  to  see  the  sunrise  and  the 
dissolving  mists  which  hung  low  on  the  mountain 
sides  as  they  disappeared  beneath  the  warming  influ 
ence  of  old  Sol.  An  early  breakfast  was  followed  by 
unpacking  of  trunks,  arranging  of  fishing  tackle, 
cameras,  hammocks  and  paraphernalia  which  they 
disposed  of  in  and  about  the  four-room  cottage 
near  the  main  hostelry.  Great  elk  a'nd  deer  ant 
lers  decorated  buildings  all  about  them  and 
the  emblem  of  occupancy  was  the  fly  rod 
standing  in  some  convenient  corner.  Saddle 
horses,  phaetons  and  four-seated  spring  wagons 
were  standing  about,  chartered  for  the  day's  outings, 
while  already  on  the  banks  of  the  streams  were  anglers 
casting  their  favorite  flies  over  pool,  riffle  and  swirl, 
in  expectant  anticipation  of  luring  the  wary,  ever 
alert  inhabitant  which  lurked  beneath  some  rock  or 
bank.  A  flash  of  something  like  light,  followed  by 
the  straightening  of  a  line,  the  symmetrical  curve  of 
a  split  bamboo,  the  sharp  click  of  a  swiftly  revolving 
reel  in  crescendo  as  the  line  cleft  the  water,  then  the 
lull,  the  renewed  dash  for  liberty  as  a  spotted,  open 
mouthed  one-pounder  madly  threw  himself  from  the 
water,  shaking  his  head  and  falling  with  a  splash  back 
into  the  stream, — the  critical  moment, — but  the  barb 
holds  and  a  limp,  pink  tinted  trout,  with  extended 


220  CHIQUITA 

gills,  floats  easily  into  the  landing  net — a  prize  is  cap 
tured  which  proves  the  record  breaker  of  the  day,  all 
within  sight  of  the  "  tavern." 

Day  after  day  excursion  followed  exploration ;  fish 
ing  in  Willow  Park  or  Horseshoe,  the  canon  and  the 
"  pool,"  over  on  the  St.  Vrain  and  the  meadow ;  in  the 
latter  place  as  the  season  advanced  one  becomes  famil 
iar  with  the  finny  tenant  who  has  outwitted  all  the 
temptations  of  professional  angling,  and  many  an  hour 
can  be  spent  devising  new  deceptions  with  which  to 
entice  the  sagacious  big  ones,  those  who  have  felt  the 
keen  thrust  of  a  barbed  hook  and  learned  not  to  grab 
every  dainty  morsel  floating  near  its  den.  Few  cap 
tures  of  the  landlords  of  the  meadow  stream  are  re 
corded. 

Among  the  tourists  were  numbers  of  English  mem 
bers  of  the  nobility,  and  in  fact  a  great  portion  of  the 
Park  was  the  property  of  a  well-known  lord,  whose 
representative  entertained  his  lordship's  friends.  The 
grand  herd  of  Hereford  cattle  grazing  in  the  park  be 
longed  to  the  English  lord,  as  well  as  many  of  the 
blooded  horses  found  at  the  corral. 

Just  a  week  after  Jack  had  tested  his  ability  attend 
ing  to  the  caprices  of  a  bride  and  his  two  proteges, 
they  were  all  resting  in  easy  chairs  or  in  the  ham 
mocks,  awaiting  the  arrival  of  the  stage  from  Lyons, 
when  a  pair  of  handsome  brown  horses,  flecked  with 


ESTES  PARK  221 

foam,  swung  into  view,  drawing  a  buckboard  in  which 
sat  a  lonesome  traveler  leading  a  beautiful  roan  sad 
dle  pony.  It  was  Cal,  and  as  he  greeted  Jack,  who 
had  advanced  to  meet  the  outstretched  hand,  he  said, 
"  I  thought  perhaps  I'd  run  across  a  '  maverick '  up 
here." 

Jack  understood  and  replied,  "  Glad  you  come  pre 
pared  to  put  your  brand  on  any  that  you  catch  in  the 
round  up." 

As  they  were  instructing  the  corral  men  what  to  do 
with  the  horses  Miss  Asquith  said  to  Hazel,  "Oh,  Mrs. 
Sheppard,  isn't  that  a  stunning  turnout?  I  guess  it 
must  be  my  rich  farmer."  To  which  Hazel  nodded 
assent,  remarking  through  her  smiles,  "There's  no 
telling." 

Chiquita  joined  in  the  merriment  with  a  suggestion, 
"  Suppose,  Miss  Asquith,  you  let  me  get  some  Indian 
lovers'  'ferns  and  you  dry  them,  then  crush  them  with 
your  own  hands  while  you  chant  some  lines  which 
one  of  the  great  Sachems,  in  time  long  ago,  obtained 
from  a  good  spirit;  and  the  good  spirit  promised  the 
great  Sachem  that  any  of  his  maidens  could  cause  an 
obstinate  lover  to  woo  her,  or  make  a  recreant  spouse 
return  to  the  side  of  his  love  if  the  maiden  or  wife 
would  mix  some  of  the  ferns  with  some  killikinnick, 
so  the  object  of  solicitude  would  smoke  himself  into 
her  presence." 


222  CHIQUITA 

"  Oh!  That  is  just  lovely.  I  think  I  would  rather 
have  one  smell  kind  of  smoky  any  how.  I  just  abom 
inate  these  scrupulously  clean  men  who  saturate  the 
atmosphere  with  Jockey  Club;  it  is  too  much  like 
'shop/  Ugh!" 

"Sh !  "  said  Hazel,  "  they  are  coming.  Welcome, 
Mr.  Wagner,  and  here  is  a  poor  unfortunate,  Mr. 
Wagner,  who  is  on  her  way  to  China ;  she  says  she  is 
going  to  bring  back  a  Chinaman  or  die  in  the  attempt 
— Miss  Asquith." 

11  You  need  not  go  to  China  for  'em.  I've  got  one 
down  at  the  ranch  that  I'd  just  as  lieve  swap  as  not." 

"  Is  he  the  genuine  article  with  a  dragon  on  his 
blouse?"  retorted  Miss  Asquith.  "I  am  pleased  to 
make  your  acquaintance,  Mr.  Wagner." 

"  Thanks ;  and,  Chiquita,  who  would  have  thought 
it?  You  here,  and,  well,  this  beats  me,"  turning  to 
Jack,  who  was  enjoying  the  scene. 

"  My  surprise  I  promised  you,"  said  he. 

"  Surprise,  well  I  should  say  so,  sure  as  gun's  made 
of  iron,  but  tell  me — 

"  I'll  tell  you  myself,"  broke  in  Chiquita.  "  Yama- 
natz's  daughter  has  been  to  college  for  the  last  six  or 
eight  years.  Chiquita  has  adopted  the  life  of  her 
white  sisters."  She  said  it  rather  regretfully,  Cal 
thought,  but  he  replied : 

"  The  flower  of  the  Utes  is  a  daisy,  sure  as  gun's 
made  of  iron." 


ESTES  PARK  223 

"  Now,  Mr.  Wagner,  that  is  not  fair ;  you  might 
have  said  something  nice  about  me,"  playfully  re 
marked  Miss  Asquith. 

"  I  suppose  I  never  will  be  forgiven  for  such  a  lack 
of  good  manners,"  said  Cal,  continuing  in  that  open- 
hearted  off-hand  way,  "  but  let  me  tell  you  how  I  will 
even  up.  Tomorrow  morning  you  shall  ride  that  roan 
for  me  and  the  rest  of  us  will  trail  along  behind  and 
take  your  dust,  for  that  horse  is  a  thoroughbred." 

Just  then  the  dinner  gong  sounded.  The  party 
planned  an  outing  at  Horseshoe  Falls,  Chiquita  and 
Miss  Asquith,  with  Cal  as  escort,  all  mounted,  while 
Jack  and  Hazel  drove  in  the  buckboard,  carrying  sup 
plies  and  fishing  tackle.  Ten  miles  over  a  hard,  sandy 
road,  a  couple  of  hours'  fishing,  lunch  in  camp  fash 
ion,  then  an  hour's  rest  and  return  to  the  hotel.  Miss 
Asquith  was  a  trifle  timid  at  first,  but  she  was  not  a 
novice  and  soon  proved  well  able  to  master  her  mount, 
although  he  was  spirited  and  inclined  to  test  his  pow 
ers  against  all  comers.  But  she  could  not  catch  trout. 
Cal,  of  course,  found  it  necessary  to  spend  most  of  his 
time  extricating  her  line  from  the  limbs  of  trees  or 
driftwood  in  the  stream  and  changing  the  flies. 

He  showed  her  when  and  how  to  let  the  sombre 
hued  gray  hackle  or  gaudy  "  royal  coachman  "  settle 
daintily  along  the  riffle,  or  drop  a  "  black  gnat "  from 
a  bunch  of  grass  on  the  opposite  bank  as  though  it  was 


224  CHIQUITA 

a  sure  enough  bug.  But  the  lady  in  search  of  a  China 
man  could  not  hook  the  lord  of  the  water.  She  was 
either  too  slow  or  too  quick,  and  the  exasperating 
ineffectual  attempts  to  capture  one  little  one  of  the 
many  that  rose  to  the  bait,  took  it  with  a  rush  only 
to  drop  it  instantly,  or  the  ones  even  darting  out  of  the 
water  as  she  lifted  her  flies  too  quickly,  wore  her  pa 
tience  to  a  frazzle.  In  fact,  after  losing  one  grand  fel 
low  that  she  had  managed  to  hold  for  just  an  instant 
before  he  broke  her  leader,  she  was  fairly  upset  and 
could  not  keep  back  the  tears  of  disappointment. 

"  Now,  little  one,  you  must  not  give  up  that  way," 
Cal  expostulated.  "  These  pesky  fellows  are  just  like 
lightning.  Let  me  see  if  I  can't  get  that  one.  Now 
watch  my  fly  as  it  goes  into  the  dark  shadow  by  that 
tree  and  I  will  skitter  the  second  fly  sort  of  dancing- 
like  diagonally  across  the  lower  corner  of  the  swirl 
that  makes  over  that  sunken  rock — Gee,  whiz!  I've 
got  him,  and  see,  there  is  another  just  grabbed  the 
second  fly.  Now  the  trick  is  to  let  them  fight  it  out 
among  themselves  while  I  hold  this  end  of  the  argu 
ment.  Two  are  not  so  hard  to  '  whip '  as  one  if  you 
keep  your  line  just,  easy  tight  as  they  are  pulling 
against  each  other  all  the  time.  But  we  will  have  to  go 
down  by  that  little  beach  where  I  can  wade  out  with  a 
landing  net;  the  tail  fly  being  down  stream,  the  far 
thest  will  drop  into  the  net  first,  then  I  let  the  other 
float  in  on  top  of  him,  see?" 


ESTES  PARK  225 

"  I  don't  care,  I  think  it  is  real  mean  I  can't  catch 
one,"  replied  Miss  Asquith,  "but  oh,  ain't  they 
pretty?" 

"  Guess  they  are  half  pounders,  perhaps  the  biggest 
will  go  three  quarters,"  said  Cal,  as  he  adjusted  the 
"  shrinker,"  a  little  spring  scale  which  he  took  from 
his  pocket.  "  Nine  ounces  and  fourteen  ounces,  larger 
than  I  thought  they  were,"  said  Cal,  as  he  placed  them 
in  his  creel.  "  I  guess  we'd  better  be  moving  towards 
the  camp,  and  as  we  go  I  will  tell  you  one  secret  of 
catching  trout.  As  your  flies  settle  into  the  water, 
pull  against  them  easy  all  the  time  as  though  they  were 
fastened  to  something,  a  good  deal  like  '  feeling  a 
horse's  mouth '  when  driving.  This  seeming  tension, 
while  infinitesimal,  is  enough  that  when  a  trout  grabs 
the  fly  he  can  not  drop  it ;  and  when  you  feel  the  7  tug,' 
instead  of  jerking  your  line  out  of  the  water  turn  your 
hand  over  and  upward  a  little.  This  will  set  the  hook 
deep,  then  land  your  catch — if  you  can." 

"  Oh,  yes,  it  is  easy  enough  to  say  it,"  replied  Miss 
Asquith. 

The  camp  was  soon  reached  and  a  gay  party  dis 
cussed  the  two  "  big  ones  "  at  dinner  upon  their  arriv 
ing  at  the  hotel. 

"  There  are  very  few  trout  caught  in  the  Park  that 
exceed  a  pound,  and  more  six  ouncers  or  less  than  in 
excess  of  six,"  said  Cal.  "  The  large  three  to  eight 


226  CHIQUITA 

pound  red  throated  mountain  trout  are  more  plentiful 
in  the  waters  that  empty  into  the  Pacific  Ocean  or 
Rio  Grande  River  than  in  the  streams  that  go  to  the 
North  Platte  and  on  into  the  Missouri  River." 

Trips  of  this  nature  and  exploration  tours  followed 
each  other  day  after  day,  until  all  the  country  had  been 
visited. 

One  trip  which  Jack  deferred  was  to  Long's  Peak, 
and  as  day  succeeded  day  he  was  conscious  that  his 
little  party  cast  longing  glances  toward  that  snow 
capped,  uncompromising  sentinel  of  the  plains.  So 
few  ventured  to  undertake  the  fatigue  incident  to  the 
wearisome  and  perilous  journey  that  little  was  heard 
of  the  experiences,  and  those  who  did  accomplish  it 
seemed  loath  to  recount  much  of  their  experience. 
When  the  signs  in  the  zodiac  at  last  became  propitious, 
and  all  were  physically  and  morally  equal  to  the  at 
tempt,  preparations  were  made  to  go  to  the  Half  Way 
house,  Lamb's  ranch,  and  the  next  morning,  at  four 
o'clock,  make  an  early  start  to  climb  the  peak.  No 
fishing  tackle  was  carefully  stowed  away,  no  odds 
wagered  on  results,  and  no  great  amount  of  unre 
strained  merriment  attended  the  "  make  ready "  as 
wraps,  lunches,  heavy  ironshod  walking  sticks  and 
sundry  necessaries  were  packed  into  the  vehicles. 
Three  good  saddle  ponies  of  the  Indian  variety  were 
provided  for  the  ladies,  while  Jack  and  Cal  made 


ESTES  PARK  227 

arrangements  to  get  their  saddle  animals  at  Lamb's. 
The  road  to  the  Half  Way  house  was  of  the  usual 
rough  thoroughfare,  corduroyed  in  places,  steep  and 
fringed  with  pine  trees,  whose  uncanny  whisperings 
added  to  an  already  semi-funereal  gloom  which  hung 
oppressively  over  the  party.  This  was  partially  due 
to  the  impressive  monosyllabic  advice  given  in  low 
voices  by  guides,  hostlers  and  residents  of  the  park. 

After  a  restless  night,  just  as  the  gray  dawn  of 
morning  was  breaking  through  the  eastern  sky,  the 
lengthening  and  shortening  of  stirrups,  changing  of 
packs,  wrapping  up  bundles  of  extra  clothing  and 
other  miscellany  occupied  the  time  while  breakfast  was 
being  prepared.  With  a  good-bye  to  those  who  re 
mained  at  the  ranch,  a  cavalcade  of  a  dozen,  including 
guides,  started  away  in  the  crisp,  frosty  air,  each  one 
eager  to  be  in  the  lead,  and  on  the  return  each  one 
was  contented  to  be  the  drone.  The  sun  was  perhaps 
two  hours  high  when  timber  line  was  reached.  Fre 
quent  stops  for  breathing  had  to  be  made  and  saddle 
girths  adjusted  as  higher  altitudes  and  steeper  grades 
were  encountered.  The  inexperienced  noted  the  pant 
ing  horses,  but  did  not  fully  grasp  the  terrific  effort 
required  to  climb  those  precipitous  inclines  at  eleven 
thousand  feet  above  sea  level.  Not  a  cloud,  not  a 
particle  of  haze  blurred  the  clear  atmosphere.  The 
pines  soughed  dreamily  and  waved  their  needle  tipped 


228  CHIQUITA 

arms  in  a  lazy,  indolent  manner,  wafting  fragrance 
and  vigor  to  the  world.  The  trail  wound  its  serpen 
tine  way  around  hill  after  hill  toward  the  monster 
peak,  standing  cold  and  aloof,  riveted,  as  it  were,  to 
the  deep  blue  firmament  against  which  it  seemed  to 
rest.  As  the  sky  was  approached  nearer  and  nearer, 
the  vegetation  grew  sparse  and  stunted.  Coarse  rye 
grass  in  clumps  few  and  far  between  gave  evidence  of 
nature's  provision,  even  at  that  altitude,  for  wandering 
deer  or  elk  that  might  be  left  behind  when  the  great 
winter  migration  of  the  restless  bands  sought  the 
lower  regions.  Great  boulders  appeared  more  fre 
quently  and  the  trail  led  the  party  over  slide  rock  a 
great  portion  of  the  way.  The  squeaks  of  conies 
and  shrill  whistles  of  groundhogs  could  be  distin 
guished  above  the  clatter  of  horses'  hoofs,  for  timber 
line  is  their  home. 

At  last  the  trees  were  left  behind,  the  great  boulder 
bed  stretched  before  them,  an  ocean  of  waste  rock, 
formidable,  repellant,  uninviting.  The  "Key  Hole" 
was  plainly  visible,  two  miles  distant,  while  the  sum 
mit  of  the  peak  towered  far  above,  almost  over  them. 
Horses  were  lariated,  saddles  taken  off,  and  lunches 
stowed  into  pockets,  the  stout  iron  pointed  sticks  were 
brought  into  service  and  the  signal  given,  "  Onward." 
The  way  at  first  was  over  soft  grassy  spots  inter 
spersed  between  the  waves  of  rocks,  here  and  there  a 


ESTES  PARK  229 

scrawny  runt  of  a  pine  tree,  looking  more  like  roots 
growing  needles  than  a  tree,  beneath  the  shelter  of 
which  the  famous  ptarmigan,  or  mountain  quail,  kept 
lonely  vigil. 

The  last  vestige  of  verdure  passed,  the  immensity 
of  that  vast  area  of  huge,  desolate,  dreary  waste  of 
rock  appalls  the  mind.  Step  by  step,  up,  up,  over 
those  ever  increasing  boulders,  it  did  not  seem  like 
mounting  higher  and  higher,  but  as  though  one  was 
in  a  gigantic,  fearful  stone  tread  mill  and  the  earth 
gradually  sinking  away,  down,  down,  into  space  be 
low.  After  the  boulder  bed,  the  snow,  hard,  crusty, 
firm  enough  to  bear  a  horse.  The  "  Key  Hole  " — 
and  as  the  party  passed  through  to  the  eastern  slope, 
they  found  spread  out  beneath  their  feet  the  dry, 
dusty  plain,  with  its  brown  coat  of  grass  and  alkali, 
stretching  away  into  nothing.  A  venture  to  the  edge 
of  an  immense  great  rock  upon  which  one  could  lie 
down  and  gaze  into  the  depth  below  was  like  looking 
into  eternity,  the  contemplation  of  which  baffles  the 
mind  for  words  to  describe  the  awesome,  fearful 
grandeur  of  God's  handiwork  as  viewed  from  Long's 
Peak.  No  other  peak  so  barren,  no  other  peak  so 
lonesome,  no  other  peak  so  supernaturally  devoid  of 
at  least  one  redeeming  feature  as  Long's.  From  its 
barren  crest  one  seems  able  to  touch  the  sky,  and  one 
bound  into  space  would  land  him  beyond  the  world. 


230  CHIQUITA 

To  the  right  could  be  seen  Denver,  there  the  Platte 
River,  Longmont  in  a  maze  of  alfalfa  beds  and  wheat 
fields,  but  these  were  as  a  drop  of  water  to  the  ocean, 
a  grain  of  sand  to  the  plains.  A  hasty  lunch,  dry  in 
deed,  but  for  the  accommodating  snow  bank  which 
leaked  enough  to  furnish  ice  water  that  coursed  in  a 
stream  about  the  size  of  the  lead  in  a  pencil  down  a 
boulder,  which  dwarfed  Cheops'  pyramid.  The  labor 
involved  in  the  return  trip  caused  dejection  and  woe. 
Lameness  was  the  rule  and  only  after  much  coaxing, 
and  threatening,  could  every  one  understand  the  peril 
which  awaited  them,  once  the  night  settled  dov/n  be 
fore  the  boulder  beds  were  crossed. 

Just  below  the  "  Key  Hole  "  the  guide  conducted 
the  party  to  a  wooden  slab  standing  unpainted,  weath- 
erbeaten,  bearing  this  inscription: 

Here 

Carrie  J.  Welton 

Lay  to  Rest 

Died  Alone 

Sept.  28-1884. 

It  was  in  a  spot  at  the  base  of  the  "  Key  Hole  " 
where  the  rocks  stood  on  end  and  seemed  to  disappear 
into  the  boulders,  that  made  up  that  vast  boulder  bed. 
From  a  prayer  book,  which  Jack  carried,  he  read  the 
following  tale  of  the  awful  tragedy: 


ESTES  PARK  231 


PERISHED  ALONE. 

From  the  Half  Way  House  at  break  of  day 
A  maiden  gaily  strode  away, 
To  climb  the  heights  of  Long's  Peak  bold, 
With  guide  to  show  the  trail,  I'm  told ; 
For  there's  no  path  and  the  way  is  steep, 
And  death  lurks  'round  that  grim  old  peak. 

'Twas  at  the  dawn  of  an  autumn  morn, 

The  pine  trees  soughed  as  if  to  warn 

As  two  climbed  o'er  the  boulder  bed. 

"  Come  back !   The  storm  !   Twill  come,"  he  said. 

"  On  to  the  summit,"  she  made  reply. 

"  Why  need  we  falter,  you  and  I  ?" 

Then  upward  climbed  to  view  the  sight 
Of  raging  storm  on  Long's  Peak  height, 
And   saw  ambition's   fixed  star 
On  guard,  within  the  gates  ajar, 
Lest  mortal  man  should  enter  in 
Before  absolved  from  venial  sin. 

The  solitude  of  those  drear  crests 
No  welcome  gives  to  lingering  guests 
When  storm  king  vies  with  mid-day  sun 
In  battle,  'til  the  conquered  one 
Retreats  for  days,  perhaps  for  weeks, 
And  gloom  reigns  o'er  the  lonely  peaks. 

The  wild  wind  shrieked  as  in  snow  and  hail 
They  undertook  the  downward  trail. 
She  brav'd  the  cold  and  murmured  not, 
As  they  groped  their  way  from  spot  to  spot ; 
Her  wondrous  strength  succumbed  at  last 
While  yet  the  "  Keyhole  "  must  be  passed. 

The  stalwart  guide  in  his  arms  then  bore 
Her  fragile  form,  and  ponder'd  o'er 


232  CHIQUITA 

The  waste  of  rocks  beneath  the  "  Key ;" 
For  his  strength  was  failing  rapidly, 
And  night  clouds  dimm'd  the  tortuous  way 
Which  few  e'er  tread  e'en  at  mid-day. 

"You  may  go  for  help,"  she  moaned  at  last, 
As  through  the  "  Key  "  they  slowly  pass'd. 
"  The  rocks  will  shelter  me,"  she  said, 
And  sank  to  rest  on  the  boulder  bed. 
He  covered  her  with  the  coat  he  wore, 
Then  hastened  to  the  "  Half  Way  "  door. 

Another  dawn  of  an  autumn  morn 

In  the  eastern  sky  had  been  born, 

As  stalwart  guides,  with  throbbing  heads, 

Toiled  wearily  o'er  the  boulder  beds ; 

'Midst  cruel  crags  and  waist-deep  snow 

They  battled  on  against  the  foe. 

Up,  up,  they  climb'd  that  dreadful  night 
And  brav'd  the  storm  on  Long's  Peak  height; 
Yet  wild  winds  shrieked  as  heads  were  bow'd 
To  gaze  with  awe  at  the  snowy  shroud 
In  which  she  slept  on  her  boulder  bed. 
"  She  lay  to  rest, — she's  gone,"  they  said. 

"Oh,  dear,  isn't  it  sad?"  said  Hazel  and  Miss 
Asquith  in  a  breath. 

"She  died  alone?'    queried  Cal. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  spoke  up  a  guide,  "  both  of  us  would 
have  perished,  but  she  was  true  grit  to  the  last.  I 
thought  she  might  hold  out,  but  the  storm  grew  worse 
as  it  grew  darker." 

"  Do  you  have  such  awful  storms  as  early  as  Sep 
tember?"  asked  Hazel. 


"SHE   LAY  TO  REST,"  ON   HER   BOULDER   BED. 


ESTES  PARK  233 

"  Sometimes  the  first  winter  blizzards  are  pretty 
rough  up  here;  generally  get  a  starter  any  time  after 
the  middle  of  September,"  answered  another  guide. 

"  We  had  better  be  moving,"  said  Jack. 

"  One  moment,  please.  Would  you  mind  giving  me  a 
copy  of  those  verses  when  we  get  to  the  ranch?  I 
would  like  to  show  them  to  visitors,"  said  the  guide. 

"  Certainly,  certainly ;  why,  just  take  the  prayer 
book.  We  will  all  put  our  names  in  here  right  now 
and  you  can  keep  it  to  remember  us  by,"  replied  Jack. 

The  dragging  of  swollen  feet,  weary  bodies  and 
aching  limbs  back  over  that  two  miles  of  desolation 
was  full  of  torture  for  all.  The  expected  relief  when 
the  horses  were  reached  proved  but  an  additional  mul 
tiplicity  of  aches,  especially  in  the  joints  of  the  knees, 
where  it  seemed  as  though  iron  pins  were  crunching 
the  very  cavities  of  those  valuable  adjuncts  to  man's 
usefulness. 

azel  cried,  Chiquita  even  complained,  and  poor 
Miss  Asquith, — well,  Cal  had  his  hands  full.  He 
showed  his  frontier  gallantry  by  picking  her  up  and 
carrying  her  down  one  steep  grade  as  though  she 
were  but  an  infant,  and  the  episode  did  more  to  rein- 
vigorate  the  dejected  spirits  of  the  entire  party  than 
anything  that  could  have  happened. 

Nevertheless  the  Half  Way  house  welcomed  a  hun 
gry,  cross,  disgruntled  aggregation  of  mountain 
climbers. 


23-4  CHIQUITA 

Said  Jack  as  the  guide  bid  him  good-bye,  "  Don't 
you  ever  get  tired  of  seeing  these  peak  sealers  come 
near  the  place  ?  They  are  all  alike  on  the  home  stretch, 
if  they  are  able  to  stand  up  at  all." 

"  I  must  say  I  do.  I  wouldn't  care  if  no  one  ever 
again  wanted  to  make  that  fool  climb.  Why,  that 
senseless  trip  has  often  put  folks  to  the  bad  for 
months.  They  can  ride  up  Pike's  Peak,  but  they  don't 
know  what  climbing  is  until  they  tackle  that  old  fel 
low.  Well,  adios ;  I'll  say  this  much,  you've  been  the 
jolliest  party  this  season." 

It  was  nine  o'clock  when  the  hotel  was  reached,  and 
it  was  noon  of  the  next  day  before  a  lot  of  crippled 
tourists  managed  to  limp  into  the  dining  room,  leav 
ing  a  trail  of  arnica  and  pain  killers  everywhere  they 
went. 

"  Oh,  isn't  this  just  lovely,"  said  Miss  Asquith,  as 
Cal  rolled  her  in  an  invalid  chair  to  her  place  at  the 
table. 

It  was  a  couple  of  days  before  the  effects  of  the 
Long's  Peak  trip  abated  to  a  degree  that  recreation 
once  more  became  a  pleasure.  During  the  days  of 
sight  seeing  and  exploration  of  Estes  Park,  Chiquita 
had  opportunity  to  study  the  character  of  the  sales 
lady  depicted  by  Miss  Asquith,  but  she  had  little 
chance  to  talk  with  the  lady  on  whom  the  years  sat 
as  easily  as  upon  one  in  her  teens,  and  whose  viva- 


ESTES  PARK  235 

cious  temperament  was  contagious.  The  enforced 
respite  gave  plenty  of  time  for  recounting  interesting 
episodes  in  Miss  Asquith's  life,  which  she  did  with 
charming  grace. 

To  many,  Miss  Asquith  seemed  affected.  The  spon 
taneous  spark  of  a  jovial,  witty  disposition  burned 
just  as  brightly  in  her  at  forty-five  as  it  did  a  genera 
tion  before,  but  the  critic  would  not  have  it  so.  "  It  is 
put  on,  it  is  not  natural,  it  is  out  of  place;  she  had 
better  be  saying  her  beads  preparatory  to  being 
buried,"  were  some  of  the  unkind  remarks  heard. 

Hazel  said  to  Jack,  "  She  shocks  one  at  first  with 
her  display  of  artlessness  as  a  stock  in  trade,  until 
you  learn  by  experience  that  it  is  natural." 

"  I  presume,  my  dear,  there  are  people  at  eighty 
who  condemn  the  '  kittenish '  actions  of  some  at 
ninety,  the  same  as  those  of  thirty  criticise  Miss 
Asquith.  Is  it  envy?" 

"  I'll  tell  you,  Chiquita,"  said  the  lady  in  question 
the  day  after  the  peak  episode,  "  I  find  great  enjoy 
ment  in  being  jolly,  full  of  fun,  possibly  at  times 
breaking  all  written  rules  of  decorum  and  dignity ;  for 
why  should  we  poor  mortals  go  around  with  a  long 
face,  rigid  arms  and  mouths  full  of  pious  ejaculations 
just  because  the  Puritans  brought  that  style  from 
across  the  water?  I  have  been  doped  on  fashion  for 
a  quarter  of  a  century,  and  fashions  change,  but  in 


236  CHIQUITA 

that  time  I  have  learned  that  to  laugh  is  to  be  with 
the  world.  To  weep  is  to  be  alone.  Better  be  a  little 
frivolous  with  good  appetite  than  strain  at  dignity 
and  wail  with  dyspepsia.  This  etiquette  and  form  is 
only  skin  deep  any  way." 

"  You  are  such  a  considerate  little  body  I  should 
have  thought  some  enterprising  man  would  have  cap 
tured  you  years  ago,"  ventured  Chiquita. 

"  There  was  one,  but  he  was  stricken  with  fever  and 
after  that  I  never  have  had  a  desire  to  become  mar 
ried.  Think  I  would  like  to  run  a  ranch,  though, 
now  I  am  getting  old  and  need  some  one  to  take  care 
of  me,"  she  playfully  added,  causing  a  genuine  ripple 
of  merriment. 

"  Miss  Asquith,  you  are  all  right,"  said  Hazel. 
"  Don't  let  these  carping  critics  cause  you  to  forego 
any  fun  there  is  in  life,  even  to  playing  tag  with  a  cat 
tle  king,"  which,  of  course,  produced  another  burst 
of  laughter. 

"  I  shall  have  to  insist  upon  your  accompanying  us 
to  '  Buena  Vista,'  Miss  Asquith.  I  think  you  can 
spare  the  time  and  positively  we  can  not  get  along 
without  you,"  said  Chiquita. 

"  I  shall  have  to  give  up  that  pleasure.  I  must  go 
on  my  journey."  The  reply  was  rather  sad,  but  she 
quickly  recovered  her  usual  vivacity.  "  I  want  an 
other  trial  at  those  fish.  I  suppose  I  will  have  to  leave 
Saturday,  and  this  is  Wednesday— 


ESTES  PARK  237 

"  Well,  well,  who  are  these  girls  conspiring  against 
now?"  said  Cal,  as  he  drove  up  with  Jack. 

"  We  have  just  talked  Miss  Asquith  to  death  and 
tried  to  get  her  to  go  with  us  to  '  Buena  Vista/  You 
will  go,  won't  you,  Cal?"  said  Chiquita. 

"  Oh,  you  bet,  I'd  never  lose  such  an  opportunity. 
Guess  you  will  change  your  mind,  Miss  Asquith.  In 
fact  we  will  have  to  take  you  prisoner." 

"  I  want  to  catch  a  fish  before  I  leave  Estes.  Now, 
be  good  and  go  down  in  the  meadow  and  tie  one  some 
where  to  the  bank  so  I  can  find  it,"  banteringly  replied 
Miss  Asquith. 

"  We  will  go  Friday  and  I  pledge  the  fish,  a  big 
one,"  said  Cal. 

Seated  upon  the  beautiful  roan  pony,  Miss  Asquith, 
followed  by  Cal,  went  to  the  meadow  Friday  after 
noon,  while  the  others  lolled  in  hammocks  around  the 
hotel.  The  sky  was  just  the  least  bit  clouded  and  a 
warm  south  wind  blew  lazily  across  the  park.  A  few 
fingerlings  had  been  lifted  from  the  riffles  when  Miss 
Asquith  headed  her  pony  into  deep  water  up  stream 
at  a  big  bend  where  the  river  was  sixty  feet  wide.  Cal 
was  busy  whipping  the  eddies  farther  down.  As  her 
pony  was  well  trained  to  the  angling  pastime,  he  knew 
almost  as  well  as  his  rider  what  was  wanted.  Stepping 
slowly  along  until  the  water  reached  his  belly  the  pony 
stopped,  Miss  Asquith's  flies  flashed  behind,  then  she 


238  CHIOUITA 

gracefully  dropped  the  leader  far  over  the  stream  to 
the  other  shore. 

"  Oh,  dear,"  she  exclaimed,  "  they  have  gone  too 
far  and  caught  in  the  grass.  How — how  will  I  ever — " 

Just  then  the  tail  fly  dangled  down  to  the  surface 
of  the  water,  held  back  by  the  droppers,  which  were 
caught  in  the  grass  ever  so  lightly.  The  top  of  some 
thing  darted  from  under  the  bank  and  seized  the  fly. 
Miss  Asquith  thought  it  was  a  muskrat,  it  was  so  big. 
Down  went  the  line  deeper  and  deeper.  She  instinct 
ively  turned  her  hand  and  wrist  in  order  to  free  the 
hooks  from  the  grass,  and  thus  set  the  fly  good  and 
deep  into  whatever  was  cavorting  around,  making  her 
reel  sing  as  she  never  had  heard  it  before. 

"Oh,  Cal,  quick!  quick!  come  and  get  me,"  she 
called,  little  thinking  what  she  was  saying,  at  the  same 
time  pressing  her  knee  against  the  side  of  the  pony, 
who  recognized  the  signal  and  turned  toward  the 
shore.  Miss  Asquith  allowed  her  rod  to  hold  steady 
until  she  could  dismount.  By  that  time  Cal  was  at  her 
side. 

"  You've  got  a  beauty,  sure  as  gun's  made  of  iron," 
said  he. 

As  she  reeled  in  a  little  of  the  line  the  tension  ceased 
and  an  immense  trout  broke  from  the  water.  "Oh! 
Oh!  what  shall  I  do?" 

Cal  spoke  sternly,  "  Watch  your  line  and  don't  be 
foolish." 


ESTES  PARK  239 

With  that  she  settled  down  to  her  work  and  in  a 
few  moments  had  the  pleasure  of  floating  the  fish  into 
the  landing  net,  Cal  wading  out  to  intercept  it.  As  it 
went  into  the  net  she  stood  on  the  bank  just  above 
him,  a  little  beach  giving  him  opportunity  to  make  the 
capture.  As  he  stood  there  holding  on  to  the  staff  of 
his  landing  net  with  one  hand  and  the  line  with  the 
other,  he  said,  "  This  trout  is  yours  on  one  condition 
— the  fish,  the  horse  and  the  man  all  go  together.  Say 
yes,  and  the  fish  comes  ashore,  say  no,  and  I  turn 
him  loose." 

"  Yes,  yes,  y-e-s.  Hurry  up  with  the  fish,"  she  ex 
claimed,  adding  excitedly,  as  Cal  came  to  the  bank, 
"  I'll  just  kiss  you  right  here  for  the  sake  of  the  fish," 
and,  suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  she  planted  a  good 
smack  on  his  upturned  mouth. 

"  Now  we  will  see  what  he  weighs.  But  first  here 
is  your  reward,"  slipping  a  big  solitaire  off  his  finger 
and  holding  up  his  hand,  "  tie  it  on  if  necessary." 

"  Why,  what  is  that  for  ?"  stammered  she. 

"  Didn't  you  say  'yes,  yes,  yes  ?'  " 

"Yes." 

"  Well,  that  meant  fish,  horse  and  man,  and  I'm  the 
man." 

"Mr.  Wagner— Cal— let  me  go.  My!  the  people 
are  all  watching  us." 

"  Never  mind,  show  them  your  hand.     Just  two 


240  CHIQUITA 

pounds  and  a  quarter,"  said  Cal,  as  he  adjusted  the 
scales,  "  the  biggest  one  this  season  so  far." 

"  Yes,  a  fish,  a  horse  and  a  man — quite  a  catch  for 
one  day,"  laughingly  said  Miss  Asquith. 

"  The  details  of  that  catch  are  duly  recorded  in  the 
hotel  register  and  never  will  be  duplicated,"  said  Cal 
at  dinner,  as  the  party  made  merry  and  toasted  the  "fu 
ture  ranch  owner,  who  blushed  rosy  as  a  girl  of  six 
teen,  while  Cal  was  as  brim  full  of  joy  as  a  lad  with  a 
new  pair  of  red  top  boots  and  sled  to  match.  The 
following  telegram  fairly  burned  the  wires : 

"  Stoddersmith,  Boston.  Caught  a  trout,  a  horse 
and  a  man  with  a  six  ounce  rod.  Trip  to  India  post 
poned.  Resign  position  today. 

"  Miss  Asquith." 

To  which  they  replied : 

"  Miss  Asquith,  Estes  Park  via  Lyons,  Colo.  Con 
gratulations.  Fish,  horse  and  man  uncertain  prop 
erty.  Resignation  accepted  to  take  effect  day  of  cere 
mony.  Stoddersmith." 

It  was  decided  to  go  overland  to  Chiquita's  Buena 
Vista  ranch  on  horseback  and  with  pack  animals,  the 
road  horses  and  buckboard  being  started  a  few  days 
ahead  by  way  of  Georgetown  and  the  Berthoud  Pass, 
to  await  the  party  at  Hot  Sulphur  Springs,  the 
trail  from  Estes  via  Specimen  Mountain  being  impass 
able  for  anything  on  wheels. 

"  I    am    very    anxious,"   said    Jack,   "  that   Hazel 


ESTES  PARK  241 

should  see  the  grandest  bit  of  scenery  in  Colorado. 
While  the  average  mind  is  satisfied  with  Estes,  still 
there  is  one  little  area  beyond  Estes  that  surpasses 
anything  else,  and  there  is  but  one  way  to  get  to  it — 
walk." 

Two  good  camp  hustlers  were  engaged  to  do  the 
work  of  packing,  putting  up  tents  and  other  duties 
in  common.  By  going  ahead  a  camp  was  located  and 
pitched  by  the  time  the  sightseers  overtook  the  ad 
vance  guard.  A  saddle  horse  to  each  member  of  the 
party,  three  small  pack  mules  and  a  Mexican  burro — 
the  Rocky  Mountain  canary  which  Jack  promised  his 
sister  year  after  year — the  luggage  so  packed  being 
ample  for  three  times  the  number  in  the  party. 

The  sun  had  crossed  the  noonday  meridian  when 
the  final  adios  was  given.  Striking  to  the  right  of  the 
Horseshoe  Park  road  the  trail  led  into  a  labyrinth  of 
forest  burned  "  down  timber,"  miles  of  denuded  trees 
— sentries  in  nature's  graveyard — and  as  the  wind 
wheezed  dismally  through  the  few  branches  left  by 
the  consuming  fire,  their  creaking  and  rattling  was 
not  unlike  the  clatter  of  a  thousand  skeletons  assem 
bled  in  some  vast  amphitheatre  to  dance  away  a  few 
years  of  eternity's  exile. 

The  first  camp  was  made  in  the  center  of  this  weird 
ly  fantastic  home  of  goblins  and  bogy  men.  The  tents 
had  been  pitched  and  camp  fires  started  when  Jack 


242  CHIQUITA 

and  his  four  companions  came  straggling  along.  The 
side  packs,  containing  commissary  supplies,  stood 
gaping,  awaiting  the  cook.  Frying  pans,  coffee  pot 
and  "  Dutch  oven  "  appealed,  as  it  were,  for  recogni 
tion,  so  in  one  chorus  the  honor  was  thrust  upon  Jack 
to  "  get  the  first  meal."  But  he  was  a  past-master  in 
the  art,  notwithstanding  he  had  not  officiated  before 
in  the  presence  of  so  "  finnicky  "  an  assemblage. 

"  Now,  you  ladies  who  have  a  cupboard  full  of 
clean  dishes  to  use  when  you  commence  to  prepare  a 
meal,  and  a  table  to  prepare  it  on  and  a  cook  book  to 
guide  you,  and  a  sink  for  the  trash,  and  shelves  full  of 
handy  ingredients,  and  when  the  meal  is  ready  every 
dish  has  been  used  and  every  utensil  stands  neglected 
with  traces  of  its  having  fulfilled  a  mission  belonging 
to  it,  and  who  sigh  because  there  are  so  many  pots, 
stewpans  and  table  dishes  to  wash  and  dry  after  the 
meal  is  over, — just  watch  the  frontier  method." 

Jack  had  superintended  the  packing  of  the  "  mess 
box,"  so  he  knew  where  all  the  supplies  were.  Seizing 
a  stick,  provided  for  the  purpose,  his  first  act  was  just 
like  that  of  a  woman.  He  poked  the  fire,  but  in  his 
case  it  was  to  "  draw  out  "  a  bed  of  coals  on  which  he 
set  the  oven  skillet,  a  cast  iron  utensil  about  five  inches 
deep,  with  long  legs  under  it  and  a  bail  and  cast  iron 
cover  half  an  inch  thick.  The  latter  he  placed  on  the 
fire  logs.  Next  he  washed  his  hands,  then  put  a 


ESTES  PARK  243 

tablespoonful  of  coffee  for  each  cup  into  a  big  pot  and 
added  cold  water.  This  was  put  on  one  corner  of  his 
bed  of  coals.  Taking  a  six  quart  pan  he  put  in  flour, 
some  salt,  a  pinch  of  sugar,  some  milk — which 
by  good  luck  they  had  managed  to  capture  at  the  last 
ranch — then  some  baking  powder,  and  stirred  it  all  up 
with  a  big  iron  spoon  until  it  was  stiff.  The  mixing 
was  done  on  a  convenient  rock.  Here  Jack  looked 
suspiciously  at  the  quizzical  eyes  which  followed  his 
every  movement.  He  washed  his  hands  again,  then 
with  turned-up  shirt  sleeves  moulded  the  dough,  add 
ing  flour  until  it  was  biscuit  thick.  Turning  another 
pan  upside  down  he  flattened  a  portion  of  the  dough 
to  the  desired  thickness,  then  cut  his  biscuits  square. 
The  remainder  of  the  dough  in  the  original  pan  was 
treated  likewise  where  it  was.  Cutting  off  a  piece  of 
bacon  rind  he  "  greased  "  his  oven  skillet  thoroughly, 
placed  the  biscuits  therein,  then  put  the  hot  cover  upon 
the  skillet  and  a  shovelful  of  hot  coals  on  the  cover. 
The  coffee  was  just  beginning  to  boil,  so  he  set  the 
pot  back  on  some  hot  ashes,  washed  his  pans,  spoons 
and  hands,  and  in  a  twinkle  was  slicing  up  some  bacon 
and  calf's  liver,  which  he  placed  in  a  frying  pan  near 
the  bread  oven. 

Bright  tin  cups,  plates,  knives,  forks  and  spoons 
were  handed  around  and  the  "  folks  "  instructed  to 
"  get  your  places  near  the  grub  pile."  A  bucket  of 


244  CHIQUITA 

cold  brook  water  stood  handy  by.  Jack  opened  a  can 
of  peas,  which  were  soon  sizzling  in  a  double  bot 
tomed  stewpan.  A  round  wooden  box  was  marked 
"  Oleo  " — but  no  one,  except  Jack,  knew  it  to  be  other 
wise  than  "  best  Elgin  butter." 

Into  another  frying  pan  Jack  put  some  of  the  butter, 
and  when  it  was  good  and  hot  added  half  a  dozen 
brook  trout  that  also  had  escaped  the  notice  of  the 
now  hungry  onlookers.  The  scent  of  savory  viands 
nearly  precipitated  a  riot. 

"  Supper !"  called  Jack. 

"  Why,  you  don't  know  whether  those  biscuits  are 
burned  to  death  or  raw,"  said  Hazel.  "  Look  at  him 
settle  that  coffee  with  cold  water.  Where's  an  egg?" 

Jack  lifted  the  cover  off  the  oven  and  a  cloud  of 
steam  rose  up  and  wafted  away,  then  he  set  the  skillet 
in  the  center  of  the  party,  the  fish  beside  the  bread  and 
the  bacon  near  at  hand;  peas  came  along  and  Hazel 
picked  up  a  lightly  browned,  rich,  creamy  biscuit, 
breaking  it  in  two  and  adding  a  dab  of  butter,  took 
a  bite,  smacked  her  lips  and  said  "  More."  The  ver 
dict  was  unanimous. 

The  routine  of  camp  life  is  not  a  dull  one;  new 
and  varied  episodes  follow  each  other  in  rapid  order 
while  on  the  trail.  The  informal  mannerisms  of  camp 
life  become  contagious  and  an  irresistible  impulse 
takes  possession  of  the  most  conservative  to  break 


ESTES  PARK  245 

away  from  conventionalities.  Bantering  persiflage 
bubbles  in  everyone,  and  good  natured  raillery  adds 
zest  to  all  phases  of  the  experience,  whether  it  rains 
or  shines. 

No  sooner  had  Jack  straightened  up  his  kitchen 
than  he  inspected  the  disposition  of  the  horses,  seeing 
that  each  one  had  as  good  a  spot  to  crop  grass  as  was 
obtainable.  Then  the  beds.  "  Put  some  more  of  those 
second  growth  pine  boughs  under  that  bunch  of 
blankets  and  it  will  be  more  like  a  good  curled  hair 
mattress,  to  which  I  presume  Miss  Asquith  is  accus 
tomed  ;  dig  a  trench  all  around  each  tent ;  it  may  rain 
before  morning  and  this  side  hill  will  be  a  running 
river  if  it  does ;  spread  that  wagon  sheet  over  the  sad 
dles  and  '  commissary '  before  you  turn  in ;  we  will 
want  to  start  about  eight  o'clock ;  you  may  sleep  until 
six."  Thus  he  gave  his  instructions  to  the  hustlers. 

After  a  little  chat,  as  they  sat  on  the  ground,  Turk- 
fashion,  or  lolled  against  a  tree,  first  one  yawned  and 
of  course  the  others  followed  suit,  so  Jack  suggested 
"  early  to  bed." 

Breakfast  over,  saddles  were  cinched,  camp  equip 
ment  all  snugly  packed  away  and  the  laborious  climb 
was  commenced  which  was  to  take  them  to  the  slide 
rock  trail  five  miles  long,  following  the  crest  of  the 
great  continental  divide  which  separates  the  waters  of 
the  Atlantic  and  Pacific. 


246  CHIQUITA 

The  men  walked  behind  their  respective  ponies, 
lessening  their  labor  by  hanging  to  the  ponies'  tails, 
while  the  fair  sex  suffered  almost  as  much  hard 
ship  listening  to  the  panting,  patient  animals,  as  they 
stopped  every  hundred  feet  to  get  a  breath  and 
"  blow." 

"  Oh,  say,  but  this  is  a  corker !"  said  Cal,  as  he 
steadied  himself  and  leaned  against  a  tree  for  a  little 
rest. 

"  I  often  wish  my  tongue  would  hang  out  like  a 
dog's  when  I  get  to  climbing  these  high  peaks.  Seems 
as  though  mine  fills  my  throat  up  so  I  can't  breathe," 
said  Jack,  his  remark  causing  much  merriment. 

The  summit  was  not  far  distant  at  ten  o'clock,  and 
as  they  surmounted  the  last  slope  the  clouds  rolled  in 
above  them  like  a  great  drop  curtain,  black  and  dense. 
Onward  the  great  canopy  spread  toward  the  sunlit 
peaks  beyond,  leaving  a  trail  of  drizzle,  sleet  and 
snow.  Then  the  entire  party  was  swallowed  up  in 
an  immense  gray  fog  bank,  while  darker  electrically 
charged  masses  of  moisture  bowled  along,  chasing 
each  other  through  phosphorously  illuminated  paths, 
much  to  the  consternation  of  the  ladies. 

"  Oh,  it's  lightning  right  here !  Won't  it  strike 
us?"  exclaimed  Miss  Asquith. 

"  It  might  give  you  a  little  shock  that  would  tingle 
some,  but  not  enough  to  hurt  you,"  vouchsafed  Jack. 


ESTES  PARK  247 

The  light  clouds  soon  followed,  then  the  sun  shone 
bright,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  gum  coats  provided 
for  just  such  an  emergency  had  been  relegated  to  the 
strings  on  the  saddles.  To  the  left,  on  the  slope  of 
another  hogback,  rose  tier  after  tier  of  little  lakes, 
seven  terraces  in  all,  each  fringed  with  a  belt  of  green 
pine  trees ;  behind  each  belt  rose  a  precipitous  ledge  of 
rock. 

"  Just  look  at  that,  isn't  it  grand?"  said  Hazel. 

Jack  had  provided  plates  and  the  panoramic  camera 
snapped  its  welcome  to  the  view.  Five  exposures 
were  made  to  insure  a  good  one,  then  the  party  filed 
along  the  ragged,  dimly  outlined  trail  which  Indians 
had  used  for  a  century  or  more.  In  the  distance  could 
be  seen  the  headwaters  of  the  Cache  le  Poudre  and  to 
the  immediate  right  a  huge  snow  bank  formed  a 
horseshoe  half  a  mile  in  its  arc.  Leaving  their  ponies, 
at  a  suggestion  from  Jack  the  party  walked  over  to 
the  edge  of  the  slide  rock  and  gazed  down  into  a  small 
lake,  of  perhaps  a  thousand  acres,  nestled  in  a  rocky 
embrace,  twenty-five  hundred  feet  below  them,  into 
the  nearer  edge  of  which  stones  were  sent  splashing 
by  those  who  attempted  a  throw.  Groups  of  pine 
trees  dotted  the  farther  shore  of  the  lake  and  upon  its 
bosom  floated  half  a  dozen  immense  icebergs,  which 
remain  summer  after  summer,  during  the  months  of 
July  and  August,  never  entirely  disappearing. 


248  CHIQUITA 

Again  and  again  Jack  attempted  the  difficult  feat 
of  obtaining  a  focus  to  register  that  grandest  of  pic 
turesque  spots  on  the  plates  especially  prepared,  but 
none  proved  successful  when  developed. 

Slowly,  regretfully,  the  march  was  again  taken  up 
and  camp  was  made  on  the  low  pass  where  pools  of 
water  flow  from  two  outlets,  one  north  into  North 
Park,  the  other  south  into  Middle  Park  and  the  Grand 
River.  This  camp  was  beneath  the  famous  Specimen 
mountain  and  its  fantastic  spire-like  rock  formations, 
on  the  apex  of  which  the  "  Big  Horn  "  dozed  in  per 
fect  security,  the  spires  succeeding  each  other  and 
making  the  great  aerial  stairway  accessible  only  to  the 
sure-footed  mountain  sheep. 

No  one  enjoyed  the  life  of  the  camp  half  as  much  as 
did  Chiquita.  She  was  in  her  element.  The  respite 
from  the  continual  grind  of  college  had  been  such  a 
welcome  one  that  she  preferred  to  listen  to  the  others 
rather  than  join  in  the  general  conversation.  The  top 
ics  discussed  found  no  sympathetic  chord  in  her  mind, 
and,  notwithstanding  the  years  she  had  submitted  to 
the  refining  influences  of  education,  she  was  a  savage 
at  heart.  She  realized  it.  Her  restive  spirit  broke  the 
bonds  of  captivity  as  soon  as  the  first  campfire  was 
lighted.  Like  a  golden  winged  chrysalis  she  burst  her 
civilization  fetters  and  became  again  the  forest-born 
Indian  maiden,  Chiquita.  No  longer  did  she  feel 


ESTES  PARK  249 

the  restraint  which  society  demanded.  The  buoyant 
freedom  of  the  camp  injected  new  life  into  her  veins, 
new  aspirations  into  her  mind.  But  she  was  not  aware 
that  the  very  ascendency  of  civilization  immeshed  her 
in  its  grasp.  Her  manners,  always  charming,  had 
become  more  so  under  the  polish  of  education  and 
association  with  those  who  trained  the  soul  as  well  as 
the  hand,  the  eye,  the  body. 

"  The  smoke  of  the  tepee  fire  has  driven  away  the 
oppressive  chaotic  whirl  of  classes,  recitations  and  ex 
aminations  which  have  had  possession  of  me  ever 
since  I  left  the  college,"  she  said,  apologetically. 

"  That  was  one  reason  I  had  for  making  this  trip 
overland,"  said  Jack.  "  I  knew  you  longed  to  break 
away  from  crockery  and  tablecloths,  and  in  your  tent 
you  will  find  something  that  will  please  and  make  you 
still  more  at  home." 

When  Jack  superintended  the  packing  of  the  para 
phernalia  for  the  trip  over  the  trail,  he  managed  to 
include  in  Chiquita's  outfit  a  complete  set  of  buckskin 
garments,  and  these  she  found  awaiting  her.  It  was 
not  long  before  she  appeared  in  her  native  costume. 

"  Now  you  look  natural,"  said  Cal. 

"  The  daughter  of  the  woods  is  happy  again,"  she 
replied,  half  sadly,  but,  recovering  quickly,  proposed 
a  specimen-hunting  expedition  up  the  mountain  which 
derives  its  name  from  the  great  pockets  of  specimen 
rocks  found  upon  its  slopes. 


250  CHIQUITA 

The  party  picked  its  way  carefully  over  slippery, 
slimy,  ooze-covered  shale  to  the  specimen  beds.  Geodes, 
rounded  nodules  of  rock,  filled  with  waxy  uncrystal- 
lized  deposits  of  infiltrated  silicious  waters  were  broken 
open,  presenting  in  some  instances  masses  of  infinites 
imal  stalactites,  in  others  the  beautiful  ribbon  agate  so 
much  prized  by  the  mineralogist,  with  its  alternate 
rows  of  different  colors.  Much  more  difficult  to  find 
was  chrysoprase  in  green,  and  the  flesh  red  carnelian, 
all  of  these  known  as  chalcedony  and  of  which  in  Rev. 
21  :  19  and  20,  St.  John  describes  the  third  foundation 
of  the  wall  of  the  holy  city  as  "a  chalcedony,"  the 
tenth  foundation  "  a  chrysoprasus."  Hours  were 
spent  in  digging  these  precious  souvenirs  from  their 
resting  place. 

Far  above,  an  occasional  mountain  sheep  appeared 
for  a  moment,  reconnoitering  to  see  if  it  was  safe  for 
him  to  descend  with  his  family  to  the  night  camp  of 
the  Big  Horn,  for  the  oozy,  slimy  deposit  was  salty 
and  this  "  lick  "  was  the  most  famous  in  all  the  great 
length  and  breadth  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  It  con 
sequently  became  the  resort  of  thousands  of  those 
wary,  intelligent  animals,  but  there  were  times  when 
the  insatiable  desire  for  alkali  grew  so  strong  that  no 
danger  appalled  them,  and  they  rushed  recklessly  only 
to  meet  death  at  the  hands  of  the  hunter  who  took 
advantage  of  this  weakness.  Skulls,  broken  horns 


ESTES  PARK  251 

and  bones  could  be  discerned  upon  the  apex  of  many 
of  the  spires  or  truncated  cones  which  rose  at  inter 
vals  from  the  eruptive  lava,  that  in  ages  gone  by  had 
broken  forth  from  the  earth's  crust,  the  surface  of  one 
of  these  beds  being,  in  many  cases,  not  over  three  feet 
in  width,  while  the  precipitous  sides  of  the  cone  varied 
from  one  foot  to  a  thousand  feet.  To  these  dizzy 
spots,  which  formed  the  Big  Horn's  aerial  stairway, 
did  this  wonderful  animal  bound,  whether  pursued  or 
in  search  of  a  resting  place,  alighting  with  sure  foot, 
and  immediately  curling  down  for  a  nap  or  another 
bound  in  event  danger  was  scented.  That  leap  from 
danger  was  in  itself  marvelous — with  all  four  feet 
curled  beneath  that  ponderous  body,  the  iron  muscles 
warmed  by  the  heavy  hair  coat,  it  was  not  the  labori 
ous  effort  of  a  steer  elevating  its  hindquarters,  unfold 
ing  one  foreleg  and  then  the  other  with  a  groan;  it 
was  a  propulsion  of  a  seemingly  inert  mass  into  space, 
a  touch  of  toes  to  the  earth  and  another  bound  into 
the  air  and  probably  out  of  sight,  for  that  stairway 
is  a  mass  of  intricate,  steep  sided  fissures,  deep  rifts 
opening  one  into  another,  each  presenting  a  ledge  suf 
ficiently  large  to  enable  one  of  these  sure-footed  trav 
elers  to  find  "  bouncing  room  "  and  so  down,  down, 
down  for  a  thousand  or  more  feet  this  denizen  of  the 
clouds  would  make  his  escape.  This  method  of  retreat 
being  so  sudden  and  the  disappearance  so  sure,  tales 


252  CHIQUITA 

have  been  ofttimes  told  of  the  wonderful  leaps  into 
mid  air,  dropping  to  the  bottom  of  one  of  those  canons 
and  of  his  sheepship  alighting  on  his  horns,  none  the 
worse  for  jumping  half  a  mile  or  more. 

All  one  afternoon  Chiquita  told  wonderful  stories 
of  the  wild  game  life,  the  parties  of.  hunters  who  came 
even  from  Europe  to  wait  for  days  until  the  sheep 
came  to  the  "  lick,"  and  how  these  hunters  crept  up 
to  the  "  beds"  in  the  darkest  and  stormiest  nights, 
waiting  within  rifle  shot  until  the  dawn  should  break, 
when  the  slaughter  would  commence.  She  told  of  the 
bands  of  elk,  two  and  three  thousand  herding  together, 
migrating  from  their  summer  feeding  grounds  among 
the  high  willow  grown,  spongy  bogs,  to  the  cedar 
grown  mountains  along  Eagle  River,  crossing  Middle 
Park  in  October  and  November  after  the  first  great 
snow  storms  began  to  drive  them  out. 

''  The  mountains  around  here  used  to  be  the  great 
est  paradise  for  game  that  Indian  ever  found.  Is  it 
any  wonder  my  people  resent  the  intrusion  of  the  pale 
face?"  said  she,  after  giving  an  enthusiastic  account 
of  one  of  the  Ute  hunting  expeditions  which  took 
place  when  she  was  but  a  few  years  old. 

The  fascination  and  charm  which  held  the  listener 
spellbound  could  not  be  analyzed.  Chiquita  in  her  col 
lege  dress  and  college  speech  was  not  the  Chiquita  of 
the  forest.  Day  after  day  as  the  party  wended  its 


ESTES  PARK  253 

course  along  the  Grand  River  and  over  the  range  to 
those  famous  springs  at  the  Buena  Vista  ranch,  she 
pointed  out  hunting  grounds,  battle  fields  where  Chey- 
ennes  fought  the  Utes,  or  Sioux  came  down  from  the 
north  to  wage  a  war  of  conquest. 

The  buckboard  was  at  Hot  Sulphur  Springs  when 
they  arrived.  Miss  Asquith  and  Cal,  it  is  needless  to 
remark,  found  this  conveyance  more  to  their  liking,  at 
least  a  part  of  the  time,  than  the  saddle  method. 

From  the  ranch  excursions  were  made  to  Egeria 
Park,  where  the  towering  Toponas  rock  lifted  its 
ragged  summit  over  five  hundred  feet  in  the  air,  and  on 
whose  side  a  city  of  swallows,  martins  and  mud-nesting 
birds  numbering  into  tens  of  thousands,  dwelt  until  the 
winter  breath  drove  them  to  the  warm  southland.  A 
trip  to  the  famous  Steamboat  Springs,  with  its  porce 
lain  frescoed  caves,  belching  forth  the  peculiar  chug, 
chug,  chug  of  a  Mississippi  boat,  as  though  some  giant 
ventriloquist  were  navigating  one  of  those  floating 
palaces  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth.  Great  trout  were 
captured,  after  arduous  labor,  from  the  sluggish 
waters  of  the  Bear  River,  but  little  peace  was  afforded 
the  whole  trip  from  the  pestiferous  swarms  of  red- 
legged  grasshoppers  exiled  from  the  plains,  to  be  buf 
feted  back  and  forth  from  the  surrounding  ranges  of 
snow-capped  mountains,  until  the  white  man's  de 
stroying  agency  should  catalogue  them  with  the  auk, 


254  CHIQUITA 

the  buffalo  and  the  red  man ;  as  Chiquita  chronicled  it, 
"  another  example  of  the  onward  march  of  civiliza 
tion." 

The  removal  of  the  Utes  from  White  River  to  the 
Uintah  reservation  had  been  so  distasteful  to  Chiquita 
that  she  seldom  visited  the  remnants  of  her  people 
domiciled  in  a  strange  land.  Many  of  these,  however, 
made  pilgrimages  to  her  ranch,  and  the  various  tour 
ists  who  shared  in  her  hospitality  had  opportunity  to 
see  the  blanket  Indian  in  all  his  modern  splendor  of 
cast-off  army  garments  and  civilian  society  apparel. 

Yamanatz  made  his  home  a  greater  part  of  the  year 
at  his  daughter's  place,  but  the  aged  chief  had  lost  his 
vigor  and  only  waited  the  call  to  the  Great  Hunting 
Ground  beyond.  He  took  little  interest  in  the  com 
ings  and  goings  of  strangers,  but  enjoyed  the  com 
pany  of  Jack,  who  made  it  his  mission  to  entertain  the 
old  warrior  in  every  manner  possible  as  far  as  he 
could. 

The  time  for  Chiquita  to  return  to  college  was  ap 
proaching.  She  had  given  up  the  trip  to  California 
on  account  of  the  sequel  which  the  little  romance  of 
Miss  Asquith  and  Cal  had  brought  about.  Chiquita 
had  obtained  their  promise  that  the  wedding  should 
take  place  at  the  Buena  Vista  ranch. 

The  preparations  \vere  made  and  the  services  of  a 
clergyman,  who  was  making  a  tour  of  the  mountains, 


ESTES  PARK  255 

was  secured.  Cal  was  elated  at  the  unexpected  turn 
of  affairs  and  Miss  Asquith  was  easily  reconciled. 
Jack  gave  away  the  bride  and  the  "  wedding  bells  " 
which  comprised  a  part  of  the  ceremony  "  pealed 
forth  "  from  a  lot  of  Indian  tom-toms,  sleigh  bells  and 
tin  pans  in  the  hands  of  some  visiting  Utes. 

The  newly  made  man  and  wife  started,  after  the 
wedding  repast  was  served,  for  Denver.  Jack,  Hazel 
and  Chiquita  followed  a  few  days  later,  Chiquita  to 
return  to  college,  Jack  to  continue  his  journey  to  the 
mine. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

CHIQUITA  GRADUATES. 

In  a  room  overlooking  the  broad  Connecticut  valley, 
a  student,  wearing  cap  and  gown,  stood  by  the  window 
watching  the  clouds  as  they  floated  in  filmy  drapery 
above  the  long  rows  of  corn,  tobacco  and  rhubarb 
which  paralleled  each  other  on  either  side  of  the  his 
toric  stream  that  divides  western  Massachusetts. 
Chiquita,  as  she  surveyed  the  scenery,  then  the 
room  and  then  herself,  heaved  a  sigh  of  satis 
faction.  The  same  old  routine  of  registering,  getting 
the  trunks  unpacked,  studies  and  classes  arranged,  had 
come  to  an  end.  Greetings  by  classmates,  introduc 
tions  to  new  professors,  salutations  to  members  of 
the  faculty  and  respects  to  the  dean  had  taken  their 
regular  order,  and  now  the  daughter  of  Yamanatz 
gazed  wistfully  into  the  deep  waters  which  reflected 
the  clouds  above.  The  room  was  gorgeous  in  Indian 
blankets,  draperies,  spears,  arrows,  pottery,  beaded 
scarfs  and  long  war  bonnets,  gold  and  silver-mounted 
leather  trappings  of  bridles,  lariats,  saddle  skirts  and 
pistol  holsters  adorned  the  walls,  while  the  floor  and 


CHIOUITA  GRADUATES  257 

furniture  were  smothered  in  lion,  beaver,  wolf,  bobcat 
and  fox  skins.  Busts  of  Powhatan  and  Massasoit 
looked  down  from  pedestals  upon  the  young  Indian 
girl  as  she  reflected  the  advancing  stages  of  educa 
tion  and  refinement  which  make  the  civilized  world. 
Well  she  remembered  the  lonesome,  world  forgotten 
time  when  she  first  registered  in  the  great  reception 
room,  seven  years  before,  after  two  years'  private  tu 
torship  in  her  effort  to  master  the  English  language 
and  learn  her  A,  B,  Cs. 

Oh !  the  days  and  nights  of  study,  study,  study ! 
Nothing  but  knowledge,  for  breakfast,  dinner,  supper 
and  dreams.  And  as  she  looked  forward  to  the  easy 
senior  year  and  honors  which  awaited  her  upon  grad 
uation  day,  she  smiled  a  little  and  then  waxed  serious. 

"  Me,  Chiquita,  the  daughter  of  a  red  devil,  mis 
tress  of  English,  French,  German,  Russian,  Spanish, 
Greek  and  Latin.  Winner  of  prizes  in  literature,  elo 
cution  and  music,  as  well  as  first  lady  at  all  class  par 
ties  !  For  two  years  no  function  by  any  great  society 
or  college  demonstration  has  been  complete  without 
Chiquita,  and  this  is  to  be  my  last  year.  Then  adios 
to  my  alma  mater  forever — yes,  forever.  It  is  little  sat 
isfaction  to  fill  one's  mind  with  knowledge.  It  is  pov 
erty.-  The  mind  is  dull  that  is  oppressed  with  wisdom. 
Chiquita  is  not  as  happy  here  as  she  expected.  But,  ah, 
happiness  will  surely  come  when  I  visit  the  sick,  the 


258  CHIQUITA 

maimed,  and  comfort  the  dying.  In  that  life  where 
the  '  medicine  man '  of  the  paleface  cuts  out  big 
chunk  in  sick  man  and  pale-faced  sister  in  '  medicine 
clothes  '  nurse  'em  'til  all  well.  Ah,  Jack,  you  told 
me  the  '  medicine '  story  in  such  simple  language 
that  I  understood  it  far  easier  than  I  now  interpret  the 
oppressive  wisdom  dispensed  at  clinics  or  lecture 
room,  by  those  who  fetter  themselves  to  profound  and 
awe-inspiring  dissertations,  until  human  intelligence 
seems  a  fallacy.  With  this  vast  amount  of  knowledge 
how  little  we  know !  But  that  reminds  me :  what  will 
be  the  theme  for  my  valedictory?  There  is  no  one 
who  can,  no  one  who  will  expect  this  honor  but  Chi- 
quita.  And  I  will  discuss  '  Ambition,'  something 
after  this  fashion : 

"  'A  soul  lay  fettered  at  the  portals  of  heaven.  The 
long,  winding  stairway  reached  down  into  space, 
through  worlds  of  worlds,  and  countless  millions  as 
cended  toward  the  great  white  throne,  each  uncon 
cerned  as  to  the  fate  of  the  other.  On  a  bier,  with 
body  swathed  in  burial  robes,  lay  the  inanimate  clay 
from  which  the  soul  fled  after  its  imprisonment  of  tHe 
allotted  threescore  and  ten  years.  Around  the  bier 
were  gathered  the  few  of  the  endless  millions  left  be 
hind,  who  remembered  the  departed  a  brief  season  and 
then  became  absorbed  in  the  great  race  of  life  against 
death.  Science  is  constantly  establishing  new  guide- 


CHIQUITA  GRADUATES  259 

posts  in  the  chaos  of  obscurity  and  winning  con 
verts  to  the  domain  of  enlightened  intelligence.' 

"  There,  that  is  what  comes  of  educating  a  Ute 
chief's  daughter,  and  about  six  pages  of  that  will  be 
proof  positive  that  the  savage  is  infinitely  happier 
with  the  worship  of  the  sun,  the  wind,  the  water  as 
animate  objects,  than  we  in  the  realm  of  knowledge 
with  our  defunct  moons  and  birdless  heavens." 

Chiquita  spent  a  great  portion  of  her  senior  year  in 
day  dreaming  and  imaginings,  often  putting  her 
thoughts  into  manuscript  form.  Not  that  she  ex 
pected  to  use  them,  but  because  she  read  the  stories 
she  thus  improvised  over  and  over  to  herself,  occa 
sionally  sending  one  to  Jack  for  his  inspection  and 
criticism.  If  Jack  said  it  was  good  she  kept  it,  but  if 
he  made  objections  to  any  portion,  she  destroyed  the 
whole.  In  one  of  these  she  wrote  of  her  people  and 
herself  and  the  utter  folly  of  any  attempt  on  the  part 
of  the  Indians  to  regain  their  lost  hunting  ground  and 
lands.  She  wrote  thus  : 

"  Alas !  for  my  people !  The  Great  Spirit  of  the 
white  man  is  probably  the  same  as  the  Great 
Manitou  of  the  red  man,  the  Buddha  of  the 
Hindoo  and  the  Mahomet  of  the  Arab.  All 
worship  a  divine  being,  all  nations  and  tribes  of 
the  earth  acknowledge  a  power,  mysterious,  ever  pres 
ent  but  unseen,  who  rules  the  world,  the  elements  and 


260  CHIQUITA 

the  actions  of  his  followers.  The  white  races  are  in 
tellectual,  far  outranking  the  black  man  of  Africa, 
the  yellow  man  of  eastern  Asia  and  the  red  man  of 
America.  In  the  end  I  see  but  one  result,  the  occupa 
tion  by  them  of  the  entire  world  and  ultimate  blotting 
out  of  all  religion  except  the  Christian  belief  in  the 
Messiah,  who  in  the  form  of  man  was  crucified  to  do 
away  with  the  offerings,  sacrifices  and  consecrated 
rites  established  by  the  Hebrews  and  observed  by  them 
without  dissension  until  the  commencement  of  the 
Christian  era.  But  there  are  Jews  today  still  looking 
for  the  King  promised  by  the  old  prophets  of  the 
Bible,  and  while  prophecy  upon  prophecy  has  been 
fulfilled  in  a  most  marvelous  manner,  these  people 
with  no  country,  no  flag,  no  standing  as  a  nation  are 
promised  the  earth  and  fulness  thereof  and  a  new 
Jerusalem. 

"  Do  not  the  followers  of  Buddha  look  forward  from 
the  death  of  Gaudama,  who  became  incarnate  500  years 
B.  C,  to  the  thousands  of  years  which  must  pass  be 
fore  another  Buddha  appears  to  restore  the  world 
from  ignorance  and  decay?  Do  not  the  noble  red- 
skinned  tribes  of  the  great  American  continent  pray 
to  their  Manitou  for  the  restoration  of  the  land  where 
the  buffalo  roam  and  the  paleface  cannot  molest  them  ? 

"  But,  alas,  my  people !  The  heathen  world  must 
succumb  before  the  strides  of  education,  science  and 


CHIQUITA  GRADUATES  261 

civilization.  It  is  useless  to  hope  for  the  return  of 
those  days,  and  while  the  children  of  the  forest  cannot 
in  one  generation  adapt  themselves  to  the  ways  and 
habits  of  industry,  education  and  social  life  of  their 
white  brethren,  the  time  is  not  far  distant  when  the 
blanket  Indian  will  be  as  the  buffalo,  and  the  noble 
red  man  become  a  farmer,  mechanic  or  politician. 

"  The  '  home,  sweet  home  '  of  the  people  is  the  place 
where  they  spent  their  early  youth,  and  no  matter 
where  their  other  years  are  passed,  no  matter  what 
their  successes,  no  matter  what  their  failures,  the 
sweetest  spot  on  earth  is  the  home  of  their  younger 
days,  to  which  millions  return  and  from  which  mil 
lions  die  far  away,  but  with  '  fatherland '  a  vision  still 
bright  before  them." 

The  last  term  was  at  end.  Visitors  flocked  to  the  old 
historic  town  to  witness  the  commencement  exercises 
and  hear  Chiquita,  the  Ute's  daughter,  deliver  the  val 
edictory.  Her  father,  the  aged  Yamanatz,  was  there 
with  several  chiefs  in  full  council  robes,  and  this  of 
itself  was  sufficient  to  draw  thousands  of  the  curious. 
Prominent  officials,  who  had  watched  the  progress  of 
yoking  the  savage  red  maiden  of  the  forest  to  her 
civilized  white  sister  of  fashion,  occupied  front  seats 
on  the  platform  of  the  edifice  wherein  the  commence 
ment  scenes  were  enacted.  Interest  in  the  prelimi 
nary  features  seemed  to  flag,  and  only  desultory  at- 


262  CHIQUITA 

tention  greeted  the  various  ones  as  diplomas  were 
handed  out. 

Little  were  the  gowned  professors  and  learned  LL. 
D.'s  prepared  for  the  tumultuous  wave  of  approbation 
which  greeted  Chiquita  as  she  appeared  on  the  plat 
form  from  a  side  entrance,  clad  in  her  native  costume 
of  richly-beaded  buckskin,  her  copper  colored  face  set 
in  a  frame  of  intensely  black  hair,  which  reached  to 
her  knees  in  voluminous  braids  from  whose  ends 
dangled  the  "  medicine  "  of  the  Utes.  Words  are  fee 
ble  to  express  the  transition  from  darkness  to  educated 
light,  but  there  she  stood  in  primeval  beauty,  uttering 
her  valedictory  in  language  so  fascinating  that  not 
one  syllable  was  lost. 

Bouquets  were  showered  upon  her,  "  bravos  "  rent 
the  air,  and.  as  she  stepped  before  the  dean  to  receive 
her  sheepskin,  with  its  guarantee  that  Chiquita  was 
educated,  a  smile  of  profound  satisfaction  played  for 
an  instant  over  her  marvelously  thoughtful  face.  Then 
spying  Yamanatz  near  the  platform,  she  bounded  into 
his  arms  to  receive  his  blessing,  her  filial  affection 
superior  to  her  decorous  surroundings.  Never  before 
in  the  history  of  the  college  had  such  an  outburst  of 
enthusiasm  greeted  a  graduate. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

A  HOSPITAL  AND  A  BOARDING  HOUSE. 

Long  rows  of  windows  in  a  massive  building  gave 
light  to  thousands  within,  who  in  turn  looked  out  upon 
the  thousands  plodding  their  way  to  and  from  toil.  It 
was  in  one  of  the  hospital  zones  of  the  second  city  in 
the  United  States  and  the  building  was  one  of  the 
largest  hospitals  in  the  city.  Within  the  memory  of 
the  present  generation  the  word  "  hospital "  was 
fraught  with  weird  and  uncanny  dark  rooms,  bloody 
floors,  shrieking  victims  of  accident  or  disease  under 
going  the  torture  of  the  knife,  muffled  rumbles  of 
iron-wheeled  trucks  rolling  in  new  patients  or  wheel 
ing  the  lifeless  form  of  the  dead  to  the  morgue.  Over 
the  door,  unseen  by  mortal  man,  an  ominous  inscrip 
tion,  "  He  who  enters  here  leaves  all  hope  behind." 

By  the  onward,  irresistible  advance  of  that  flicker 
ing  flame  which  penetrates  the  darkest  corner  of  big 
otry  and  ignorance,  science  has  groped  its  way  beyond 
the  portals  of  death  and  snatched  many  from  the  very 
coffin  after  being  prepared  for  the  grave.  This  is  civ 
ilization.  Even  today  thousands  look  askance  at  the 


264  CHIQUITA 

uncompromising  brick  and  stone  walls,  shuddering  as 
the  ambulance  gong  warns  them  of  its  approach,  bear 
ing  the  victim,  perchance,  of  some  terrible  disaster. 
To  the  unsophisticated  who  visit  for  the  first  time  one 
of  these  institutions  a  surprise  is  in  store.  The  awful 
gloom  is  penetrated  by  sunlight.  In  place  of  bespat 
tered  walls  and  crimson  stained  operating  table  are 
snow  white  tiling  and  glass  slabs  mounted  on  iron 
frames.  The  sickening  offensive  odor  of  the  old 
"  slaughter  pens  "  has  been  relegated  to  the  dark  ages, 
and  nothing  worse  than  a  whiff  of  carbolic  acid  or  a 
possible  suspicion  of  iodoform  greets  the  most  sensi 
tive  nostrils. 

Within  such  an  institution  Chiquita  found  herself 
face  to  face  with  the  "  medicine  "  man  of  the  paleface, 
and  her  white  sister  in  "  medicine  "  clothes.  Arrayed 
at  last  in  the  oriental  blue  and  white  striped  uniform, 
white  apron  with  strings  crossed  at  the  back  and 
jaunty  little  white  cap,  Chiquita  began  the  task  of  fa 
miliarizing  herself  with  the  calling  which  so  recently 
has  placed  woman  in  a  sphere  entirely  her  own,  and 
made  her  the  subject  of  hero  worship  on  battlefield  and 
in  peaceful  home.  Faithfuly  she  performed  the  labori 
ous  work  of  smoothing  the  rumpled  clothing  of  a 
fever-racked  patient,  or  adjusting  the  uncomfortable 
bandages  of  another,  crushed  and  maimed.  In  the 
operating  room  she  administered  anesthetics  or  as- 


HOSPITAL    AND    BOARDING    HQUSE  265 

sisted  with  sponge  and  basin,  and  at  clinics  she  lis 
tened  intently  to  all  the  specialists,  while  in  other 
channels  she  learned  the  necessary  business  methods 
needed  for  successfully  carrying  on  the  expensive 
undertaking  which  she  proposed  to  inaugurate  for  the 
good  of  her  own  people. 

The  last  half  of  the  second  year  of  hospital  life 
had  commenced.  It  was  summer,  and  Jack,  with 
Hazel,  was  returning  from  his  annual  trip  to  the 
Blazing- Eye-by-the-Big- Water  mine. 

Chiquita  had  enjoyed  an  afternoon  with  them,  driv 
ing  about  the  city,  and  observed  that  Jack  was  not  as 
bright  and  cheerful  as  usual. 

"  No,"  said  he,  "  I  don't  feel  at  all  well.  I  think  I 
over-exerted  myself  at  the  mine." 

Hazel  and  Chiquita  insisted  upon  his  consulting  a 
physician,  but  Jack  contended  that  it  was  "  nothing ;  I 
will  be  all  right  in  the  morning." 

His  malady,  however,  grew  more  pronounced,  the 
third  day  finding  him  with  a  high  fever  and  in  great 
bodily  pain.  A  surgeon  was  called,  who  discovered 
that  an  immediate  operation  was  imperative. 

Jack  protested,  but  finally  yielded  to  the  pleadings  of 
his  wife,  and  arrangements  were  made  to  take  the 
then  almost  helpless  patient  to  the  hospital. 

The  carriage  was  driven  to  where  Chiquita  in  great 
anxiety  awaited  their  coming.  The  surgeon  had  pre- 


266  CHIQUITA 

ceded  them,  informing  the  matron  that  it  was  a  case  of 
blood  poisoning,  and  arranged  for  the  admission  of 
his  patient. 

At  9  o'clock  that  evening  the  affected  part  was 
lanced,  giving  temporary  relief,  but  this  disclosed  a 
dangerous  complication  which  would  require  a  tedious 
operation  and  a  prolonged  stay  in  the  hospital. 

The  next  morning,  as  Chiquita  prepared  Jack  for 
the  operating  table,  they  joked  about  the  medicine 
tepee  and  dwelt  long  upon  the  singular  coincidence 
that  should  bring  them  together  under  such  circum 
stances.  Chiquita  administered  the  anesthetics.  While 
Jack  was  losing  consciousness,  struggling  vainly 
to  gasp  a  breath  of  fresh  air,  she  recalled  the 
vivid  description  of  hospital  life  which  he  had  so 
long  ago  on  Rock  Creek  depicted  to  her.  As  the  sur 
geon  skillfully  wielded  his  various  instruments,  and 
with  the  electric  wire  burned  the  sensitive  flesh  along 
the  track  of  the  affected  part,  Chiquita  for  the  first  time 
felt  a  sinking,  gaping,  craving  of  her  heart. 

She  realized  in  that  one  moment  what  it  meant.  She 
felt  that  if  Jack  should  die  her  heart  would  cease  its 
tumultuous  beating,  that  if  he  lived  she  should  forever 
have  to  keep  her  secret  and  stifle  the  emotions  which 
her  love  for  him  revealed. 

A  sudden  thought  surged  within  her.  "  No  one 
would  know ;  should  she" —  "  He  is  not  for  me — I 


HOSPITAL    AND    BOARDING    HOUSE  267 

am  a  Ute's  daughter,  a  degraded  Indian.  Can  I  live 
and  see  him  the  husband  of  another  and  not  betray  my 
secret  ?  Oh,  Jack  !  perhaps  it  had  been  better  that  Chi- 
quita  had  never  become  a  medicine  tepee  queen !  Were 
it  not  better  that  the  sister  of  the  forest  should  never 
have  been  educated  ? 

'  A  little  learning  is  a  dangerous  thing; 
Drink  deep  or  taste  not  the  Pierian  spring ; 
There  shallow  draughts  intoxicate  the  brain, 
And  drinking  largely  sobers  us  again.' 

"I  can  not  turn  back.  I  will  stifle  my  love  for  the 
one  who  lies  there  helpless.  I  will  consecrate  my  life 
to  the  customs  of  his  people,  that  I  may  leave  a  legacy 
to  my  people — the  inheritance  which  civilization 
brings." 

Mechanically  she  perfomed  the  rest  of  her  duties; 
nurses  had  taken  the  unconscious  form  away  in  its 
swaths  of  bandages,  while  she  remained  to  adminis 
ter  to  other  patients  and  begin  the  long  siege  of  love's 
starvation,  until  her  heart  should  capitulate  and  turn 
to  stone. 

The  day  following  the  operation,  Chiquita's  first 
duties  were  to  take  Jack's  temperature  and  respiration, 
and  note  other  conditions.  She  performed  the  latter 
with  perfect  composure,  but  when  she  essayed  the 
counting  of  those  "  little  blood  knocks  upon  the  wrist," 
her  own  heart  beat  so  furiously  that  she  was  fearful  of 


268  CHIOUITA 

making  an  error,  and  was  obliged  to  ask  another  nurse 
to  take  that  record.  Afterward,  however,  she  was 
able  to  control  her  feelings,  and  take  Jack's  tempera 
ture  with  composure. 

Upon  the  fifth  day,  when  the  internes  were  dressing 
Jack's  wound,  it  was  discovered  that  another  operation 
would  have  to  be  performed.  The  surgeon  had  over 
looked  a  portion  of  the  affected  tract,  and  the  wound 
would  again  have  to  be  reopened  and  rescarified  with  a 
burning  white  hot  electric  wire.  This  discovery  was 
made  Saturday,  and  Jack  was  at  once  informed. 

Hazel  tried  to  encourage  him,  but  despondency 
seemed  to  take  possession  of  him,  and  all  day  Sunday, 
as  the  church  bells  clanged  their  discordant  soul-rack 
ing  peals,  he  tossed  restlessly  upon  his  bed.  The  ter 
rific  winds  from  the  southwest  blew  their  breath  to 
the  north  in  sweltering  blasts,  and  poor  humanity  had 
to  endure  it.  Tuesday,  Chiquita  once  more  was  called 
upon  to  watch  Jack  as  he  succumbed  to  the  influence 
of  the  anesthetic.  Once  more  she  counted  his  heart 
throbs  as  the  surgeon  scraped,  burned  and  annihilated 
germs,  bugs  and  septic  tissue,  and  once  more  her 
heart  wildly  stampeded  in  its  ecstatic  throbbing  of 
love  for  him  whose  life  she  literally  held  in  her  own 
hands,  as  his  hallowed  form  reposed  unconscious  on 
the  glass  slab. 

Oh,  what  joy  to  her !  what  an  entrancing,  ravishing 


HOSPITAL    AND    BOARDING    HOUSE  269 

hour !  As  she  afterwards  lived  those  minutes  over  and 
over  again,  allowing  her  stony  heart  to  grow  tender 
as  the  impulse  swayed  her,  she  was  carried  back  in 
vivid  memory  to  the  camp  on  Rock  Creek  where  she 
first  learned  of  the  medicine  tepee  queen. 

The  second  operation  was  successful,  and  although 
Jack's  convalescence  was  prolonged  for  months,  he 
was  fully  cured  of  an  ailment  which  in  days  of  less 
scientific  skill  had  invariably  resulted  fatally. 

With  the  culmination  of  her  hospital  education, 
Chiquita  turned  her  attention  to  the  study  of  the  eco 
nomics  of  city  life,  and  investigation  of  the  details  re 
lating  to  her  future  enterprise. 

She  found  herself  domiciled  in  a  rather  pretentious 
establishment  in  a  fashionable  and  aristocratic  neigh 
borhood. 

"  Yes,  Senorita  Chiquita,  I  shall  be  pleased  to  have 
you  make  your  home  with  my  family,  as  they  call 
themselves,  and  we  are  a  happy  houseful."  So 
spake  the  little  black-eyed  proprietor  of  the  "  Adding- 
ton."  She  was  Mrs.  Pickett.  Pickett  was  a  specu 
lator.  The  whole  atmosphere  in  and  about  Pickett 
reflected  the  market;  if  he  was  on  the  right  side  of 
corn  or  wheat  or  provisions  one  could  feel  it,  hear  it, 
see  it  in  Pickett's  handshake,  voice  and  clothes.  If, 
however,  he  was  "  bull  "  on  a  "  bear  "  movement,  the 
Pickett  barometer  dropped  accordingly. 


270  CHIQUITA 

"  Pshaw !  that  wheat  is  worth  a  dollar  any  day.  Buy 
five  thousand  at  72."  But  "  puts  "  went  to  68  cents  at 
the  close  of  the  "  privileges  "  and  Pickett  was  glum. 

Pickett  was  not  a  big  plunger,  only  one  of  the  ten 
million  poor,  hungry  hangers  on  who  watch  the 
"ticker,"  listen  to  the  reports  made  up  for  the  masses 
by  the  master  hand  of  manipulators,  out  of  storm  cen 
ters,  visible  supply,  and  world's  consumption,  and  then 
gorge  the  bait. 

Pickett  was  a  winner  one  day  on  a  pork  deal  and 
among  other  commodities  in  the  "  pit "  which  seemed 
a  "good  thing"  was  corn  at  31  cents.  He  bought  a 
small  line  and  then  forgot  it  in  the  strenuous  circum 
stances  which  followed.  At  the  close  of  the  day's  pork 
business  he  pocketed  a  big  roll  of  bills  and  went  out 
with  the  boys  for  a  good  time,  only  to  fall  down  stairs 
and  break  his  ankle.  After  three  weeks'  suffering  he 
hobbled  into  the  broker's  office.  Greetings  were  ex 
changed  with  the  regulars,  then  he  sought  the  cashier 
to  draw  the  balance  of  his  pork  money.  This  account 
being  settled  the  cashier  said  to  him,  "  Pickett,  what 
are  you  going  to  do  with  that  corn?" 

"What  corn?" 

"  Why  that  corn  you  bought  at  31  cents  the  day  you 
broke  your  ankle." 

"  I  did  not  buy  any  corn,  did  I  ?" 

"  Yes,  you  did,  and  there  is  to  your  credit  $7,000." 


HOSPITAL    AND    BOARDING    HOUSE  271 

"  Seven  thousand  dollars !"  shouted  Pickett,  and  be 
fore  any  answer  could  be  made  he  ordered  the  deal 
closed,  then  went  out  and  bought  a  fast  "  hoss,"  a 
pair  of  checked  trousers,  a  silk  hat,  and  hunted  up  the 
girl  who  immediately  became  Mrs.  Pickett  as  soon  as 
the  necessary  formalities  could  be  arranged.  But  the 
seven  thousand  dollars  did  not  last  long  and  the  sup 
port  of  a  wife  was  more  than  Pickett  bargained  for. 
Matters  grew  very  serious  and  Mrs.  Pickett  found  she 
had  either  to  go  to  work  in  some  clerkship  capacity, 
or  start  a  boarding  house  or  peanut  and  candy  store 
near  some  school  house.  She  chose  the  boarding 
house,  which  soon  merged  into  a  swell  private  hotel, 
and  it  was  in  the  "  Addington  "  that  Chiquita  saw  a 
phase  of  life  so  common  to  the  man  of  the  world  and 
the  bachelor  girl  charging  full  tilt  into  the  twentietfi 
century. 

"  Mrs.  Pickett,  please  tell  me  a  little  of  yourself, 
that  I  may  understand  why  the  white  sister  has  no 
husband  to  care  for  her  as  other  white  sisters  have." 

It  was  about  three  months  after  Chiquita  had  taken 
up  her  residence  at  the  "  Addington."  The  two  were 
on  one  of  the  porches  which  overlook  the  lake  on  the 
north  shore  in  a  most  beautiful  location  near  Sheridan 
drive. 

"  It  is  a  long  story,  but  I  can  make  it  very  brief  in 
words,  although  the  years  have  been  rilled  with  events 


272  CHIQUITA 

which  handicap  a  woman  of  my  age  in  looks  and 
spirit,  and  that  handicap  will  make  the  story  seem 
longer  to  me  than  to  a  listener." 

"  Don't  skip  any  of  the  incidents,  will  you?  I  mean 
those  portions  where  the  Christian  spirit  upheld  you  in 
your  grief  and  sadness." 

"  I  was  young.  Mr.  Pickett's  fast  horse  must  share 
the  blame  for  a  portion  of  the  admiration  I  became 
possessed  of  for  Mr.  Pickett.  Then  he  was  such  a 
swell  dresser,  a  good  singer  and  at  that  time  a  Board 
of  Trade  man,  at  least  I  thought  so,  and  when  he 
showed  me  that  pile  of  money  and  said  *  Junie,  let's 
get  married,'  I  said,  '  Pickett,  give  my  father  a  home 
and  I  will  marry  you  tomorrow.' 

"  We  were  married,  but  the  money  did  not  last  long 
and  poor  Pickett  lost  all  ambition  save  that  of  watch 
ing  the  '  ticker,'  reading  the  market  reports,  and  liv 
ing  in  the  fascinating  atmosphere  of  '  bucket  shops/ 
gambling  in  grain,  stocks  and  provisions,  as  do  an 
army  of  poor,  deluded  would-be  speculators. 

"  There  was  but  one  course  for  me — a  boarding- 
house,  and  here  I  have  lived.  My  father  died,  and 
soon  after,  my  husband  was  stricken  with  a  lingering 
illness,  which  lasted  six  years  ere  death  relieved  him 
of  his  sufferings.  It  has  been  a  bitter  cup,  but  after 
all,  as  my  good  father  often  said,  '  It  is  all  for  the  best. 
He  waters  the  corn  and  weeds  alike,  and  burns  up  the 


HOSPITAL    AND    BOARDING    HOUSE  273 

roses  as  well  as  the  thistles;  trust  in  God,  Junie/  and 
so  I  try  to  make  the  most  of  what  I  have." 

"  Mrs.  Pickett,  it  is  so  hard  for  me,  an  Indian  born 
girl,  a  daughter  taught  to  pray  to  the  wind,  the  sun, 
the  rain  as  animate  gods,  capable  of  doing  good  or 
harm,  to  have  that  faith  you  possess — that  beautiful 
faith  in  the  hereafter,  in  a  God  whose  heaven  and 
home  you  know  not  of,  yet  where,  you  acknowledge, 
there  are  no  flowers,  no  birds,  no  deer,  no  giving  in 
marriage,  no  thirst,  and  no  hunger.  What,  then,  can 
my  uneducated  people  be  expected  to  relinquish — that 
great  and  Happy  Hunting  Ground,  which  is  to  be  re 
turned  to  us  as  it  was  before  the  white  man  drove  us 
to  the  setting  sun,  drove  the  buffalo  into  the  great  sea 
and  destroyed  our  homes,  our  villages,  and  killed  our 
warriors?  It  is  hard  for  Chiquita  with  all  her  learn 
ing  and  life  among  her  palefaced  sisters  to  say,  '  Lord, 
into  Thy  hands  I  commend  my  spirit.'  But  I  try  to 
believe  that  your  life  is  the  better  one  for  the  world, 
for  the  human  race,  and  that  in  the  end  there  will  be 
no  more  savages,  no  more  heathens,  no  more  unbe 
lievers." 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

GALLING  YOKES  OF  CIVILIZATION. 

In  one  of  the  large  wholesale  houses,  a  junior  part 
ner,  much  interested  in  municipal  affairs  and  whose 
endorsement  was  sought  by  many  a  candidate  seeking 
election — for  the  junior  partner  wielded  a  vast  inter 
est  in  both  the  secular  and  Christian  life — was  pre 
sented  to  Chiquita  and  she  spent  many  an  hour,  at  con 
venient  times,  discussing  the  affairs  of  mutual  inter 
est,  he  seeking  to  establish  the  superiority  of  the  ways 
of  education  and  civilization,  she  accepting  the  teach 
ings  and  attempting  to  persuade  herself  that  he  was 
right  and  that  savagery  was  nothing  more  nor  less 
than  animal  life  in  the  woods. 

"  Mr.  Dunbar,"  she  said  one  day,  "  the  red  man  of 
the  forest  is  sometimes  a  gambler,  and  when  the  spirit 
moves  him  he  seeks  one  of  his  kind  and  they  spread 
a  blanket  under  a  tree  or  near  the  wigwam  and  there 
follow  their  inclination,  open  and  above  board,  with 
out  fear  of  police  interference.  I  am  told  that  the 
young  white  man  sometimes  has  a  similar  temptation 
in  the  big  city,  but  that  you  have  laws  which  forbid 


YOKES  OF  CIVILIZATION  275 

gambling.  Nevertheless,  because  of  political  influ 
ence,  there  are  booths  and  rooms  where  gambling  in 
its  civilized  conditions  can  be  found.  Will  you  take 
Chiquita  to  a  gambling  den  that  she  may  see  the  class 
of  men  found  at  the  tables?" 

The  brows  of  the  merchant  contracted,  he  hesitated 
and  stammered  as  he  attempted  to  reply. 

"  Why — er — my  dear  Senorita,  you  know  I  am  a 
pillar  of  the  church,  an  active  member  in  one  of  the 
largest  wholesale  houses  in  the  west,  and  my  exam 
ple  to  my  young  men,  if  I  were  to  appear  in  a  gam 
bling  room,  would  be  horrifying.  I — er — " 

"  Oh,  never  mind  if  it  would  prove  such  a  heinous 
offense;  but  why,  Mr.  Dunbar,  is  it  allowed,  if  re 
spectable  people  can  not  go  there  without  contamina 
ting  themselves?  Is  it  possible  that  the  people  of  a 
great  city  like  this  make  laws  and  elect  men  to  enforce 
those  laws,  and  yet  take  no  notice  of  law  breakers 
except  to  protect  them  ?" 

"  Senorita,  it  is  useless  to  make  any  defense.  Our 
officeholders  are  corrupt.  The  blush  of  shame  rises 
to  the  face  of  respectable  citizens  when  they  have  to 
acknowledge  that  they  elect  men  to  office  simply  be 
cause  the  candidate  stands  for  party  principles,  only 
to  make  use  of  the  office  for  private  gain  or  personal 
spite.  Of  course,  there  are  exceptions,  but  men  do 
not  go  into  political  battles  without  expecting  a  re- 


276  CHIQUITA 

ward,  and  that  reward  must  be  a  greater  inducement 
than  the  one  offered  in  private  life.  But  I  will  escort 
you  to  a  gambling  den  and  we  will  see  for  ourselves." 

(<  You  certainly  are  brave  to  attempt  it,  and  I  shall 
thank  you  so  much." 

At  ten  o'clock  a  carriage  drove  up  to  a  corner. 
Mr.  Dunbar  and  Chiquita  alighted — "  an  English 
tourist  and  his  valet."  It  was  but  a  few  steps  to  the 
middle  of  the  block  where  a  pair  of  green  covered 
swinging  doors,  on  polished  brass  hinges,  continually 
but  noiselessly  opened  and  closed.  The  bright  glare 
of  arc  lights  made  the  street  as  midday.  The  throngs 
of  pedestrians  glanced  at  the  green  doors,  and  either 
passed  by  without  comment,  or  one  would  say  to  the 
other,  "  Great  game  up  in  Doll's."  "  Why  don't  the 
police  shut  it  off  ?"  "  Got  a  pull  with  the  high  chief 
now." 

Mr.  Dunbar  and  his  protege  found  themselves  in  a 
long  entry  at  the  head  of  the  stairs  which  led  to  a  door 
at  its  farther  end,  where  at  a  little  window  sat  a  fat 
gentleman  with  gray  mustache. 

"  Walk  in,  right  this  way.  No  danger.  Suppose 
you  are  looking  for  a  little  game.  Go  through  the 
doors  at  the  right." 

The  great  baize  covered  screens  opened  as  if  by 
magic,  revealing  a  large  square  room,  carpeted  with 
velvet  and  smothered  with  deep  piled  rugs.  Magnifi- 


YOKES  OF  CIVILIZATION  277 

cent  landscapes  by  Bierstadt,  Colby  and  Elkins  hung 
from  the  walls,  depicting  the  Rocky  Mountains  and 
the  plains.  Immense  chandeliers,  festooned  with 
prisms  which  scintillated  the  colors  of  the  rainbow, 
hung  from  the  ceilings.  Mahogany  and  rosewood 
sideboards  glistened  with  cut  glass  decanters,  tumblers 
and  fine  chinaware,  while  the  sable  attendant  served 
dainty  refreshments  and  thirst-assuaging  liquids  to 
those  who  asked  for  them.  Leather  upholstered  tete- 
a-tetes  graced  corners  and  bay  windows,  while  in  an 
anteroom  long  racks  were  filled  with  files  of  newspa 
pers  and  magazines.  A  wainscot  of  highly  polished 
black  walnut  surrounded  the  room,  and  rich  India 
draperies  deadened  the  walls.  At  a  table  near  the 
entrance  were  three  young  men  playing  poker,  while 
the  keeper  of  the  game,  in  accents  harsh,  urged  new 
comers  to  "  take  a  hand,  only  a  quarter  to  draw  cards." 
At  a  side  table  five  cattlemen,  just  from  the  stock 
yards,  were  killing  time  in  a  game  of  draw,  while  on 
the  opposite  side  a  roulette  wheel  spun  round  and 
round  until  the  little  ball  settled  into  its  space  and  the 
announcement  "  the  red  wins  "  was  greeted  by  click 
ing  of  chips  as  the  croupier  paid  out  or  raked  in. 

But  the  great  throng  was  at  the  far  end  of  the  room, 
where,  around  a  table  some  seven  feet  long  and  four 
feet  wide,  were  men  three  to  five  deep,  craning,  push 
ing,  reaching,  to  place  a  bet  or  receive  their  chips  on 


278  CHIQUITA 

a  winning  card.  The  air  was  close  and  hot,  just  the 
slightest  murmuring,  the  low  indistinct  utterings  of 
questions  asked  and  answered :  "  How  many  times 
has  the  queen  been  loser?"  'The  tray  is  a  case," 
"  Copper  the  jack  for  a  blue  chip,"  "  Play  ace  to  lose 
and  king  to  win,"  "  Last  turn  in  the  box,  gentlemen, 
four  for  one  on  the  call."  A  scruffing  of  feet,  a  sigh 
of  relief,  the  tension  eased  up  for  a  few  moments  while 
the  dealer  shuffles  his  cards.  Some  change  seats,  oth 
ers  quit  the  game,  new  ones  buy  chips,  and  again  the 
"  soda  "  card  appears  and  another  deal  is  on.  The 
suppressed  excitement  is  again  apparent  in  feature 
and  action ;  the  flushed  face  of  the  winner  and  the 
cold  sweat  on  the  brow  of  the  loser  make  no  impres 
sion  on  the  calm,  self-satisfied  face  of  dealer  or  look 
out,  each  of  whom  wears  a  light  slouch  hat,  the  brim 
shading  the  eyes.  Both  are  dressed  neatly  and  in  good 
taste,  except  for  the  enormous  diamonds  they  show  in 
shirt  bosoms  and  on  the  little  finger.  There  is  no  trag 
edy  here.  The  sequel  of  the  life  in  a  city  gambling 
den  is  the  wife  at  home  without  food,  or  suffering 
from  dyspepsia  because  of  its  plenteousness,  or  per 
haps  in  the  counting-room  of  some  Board  of  Trade 
office,  directors'  room  of  a  bank,  or  a  police  station,  to 
which  the  embezzler  is  taken  after  the  confession. 
The  mining  camp  and  frontier  gambling  dens  differ  in 
respect  to  lawlessness,  but  the  atmosphere  after  all  is 
about  the  same. 


YOKES  OF  CIVILIZATION  279 

"  I  am  ready  to  go,  Mr.  Dunbar,"  said  Chiquita. 

"  While  we  are  at  it,  suppose  we  take  in  one  of  the 
theater  restaurants  and  then  at  midnight  see  the  worst 
sink  hole  of  iniquity  on  the  American  continent,"  re 
plied  Mr.  Dunbar,  a  look  of  "  do  or  die"'  changing 
his  usually  kind  face  to  that  of  uncompromising 
severity. 

"  I  trust,  Mr.  Dunbar,  I  have  not  offended  by  ask 
ing  a  sacrifice  of  your  self-respect,  and — " 

"  No,  no,  do  not  mention  it,"  interrupted  he,  quick 
ly.  "  I  am  glad  of  this  opportunity.  To  be  sure  it  has 
taken  a  great  deal  of  resolution  on  my  part,  not  only 
to  satisfy  my  consciousness  of  the  propriety  in  the 
first  place,  but  to  feel  that  it  is  consistent  with  a  Chris 
tian  life  to  allow  one's  self  on  any  pretext  to  come  in 
contact  with  evil  just  to  gratify  curiosity.  I  am 
not  in  sympathy  with  the  so-called  slumming  par 
ties,  either  for  the  good  such  investigations  may  bring 
about,  or  for  the  benefit  that  such  visitations  might 
result  in  to  the  inmates.  There  are  other  methods 
by  which  the  same  end  may  be  accomplished  and 
not  appear  so  drastic.  •  I  have  sometimes  won 
dered  if  there  are  really  any  grounds  for  the 
flings  made  at  Chicago,  and  if  there  be  any  truth 
in  the  oft  heard  remark,  '  Chicago's  down  town 
resorts  have  no  counterpart  in  any  other  city  in  the 
world.'  Of  course  I  expect  we  will  see  a  mild  form 


280  CHIQUITA 

of  dissipation  and  possibly  one  or  two  who  may  have 
taken  a  drop  too  much,  but  as  those  stories  go  from 
one  to  another  they  are  exaggerated  until  one  has  to 
make  allowance  for  these  word  pictures.  But  here  we 
are." 

"  Have  a  private  room,  sir?"  asked  an  attendant,  for 
they  had  stepped  into  a  hallway  leading  to  private  din 
ing  rooms  up  stairs.  "  We  have  nice  rooms  for  pri 
vate  parties.  If  you  expect  ladies  you  can  wait  for 
them  there." 

Just  then  a  lady,  unaccompanied,  came  through  the 
swinging  doors  and  darted  to  the  elevator.  In  a  low 
tone  she  told  the  attendant  to  show  her  to  No.  7,  where 
she  would  wait.  Mr.  Dunbar  and  Chiquita  rather  un 
decidedly  followed  into  the  elevator  and  were  whisked 
up  to  the  second  floor,  where  they  sauntered  along 
toward  an  open  door.  Merry  peals  of  laughter  wafted 
over  transoms  and  a  sudden  opening  of  one  door 
showed  a  party  of  five  seated  round  a  table,  while  a 
sixth  member,  one  of  the  fair  sex,  was  standing  on  the 
table.  Then  the  door  shut  out  the  scene.  Mr.  Dun- 
bar  gasped  a  little,  but  concluded  to  go  back  to  the 
ground  floor  and  have  a  lunch  in  the  main  restau 
rant.  They  were  shown  seats  well  back  from  the  front 
of  the  place,  in  a  position  commanding  a  good  view  of 
the  tables,  all  of  which  seemed  crowded. 

"  While  we  are  waiting  for  our  lunch  we  can  study 


YOKES  OF  CIVILIZATION  281 

the  people,"  said  Chiquita.  "  I  guess  the  rooms  up 
stairs  are  used  by  theatrical  people  and  they  give  little 
dramas  of  their  own." 

"  Yes,  I  should  judge  it  to  be  dramatic,"  answered 
Mr.  Dunbar  grimly.  "  Do  you  notice  at  every  table  in 
the  room  some  one  is  drinking,  either  a  malt  beverage 
or  wine,  and  at  a  majority  of  the  tables  some  one  is 
smoking?"  asked  he  of  Chiquita. 

"  Yes,  I  presume  they  came  here  to  forget  the  dark 
spots  of  a  day's  life  and  to  drown  sorrow  in  drink  and 
music.  You  have  not  spoken  of  the  classic  strains 
coming  from  that  harp  and  two  fiddles." 

Mr.  Dunbar  smiled  audibly  at  the  reference  to 
music. 

"  Well,  I  don't  consider  this  such  an  awful  place 
for  a  wicked  man,  a  man  of  the  world;  every  one  is 
well  behaved  and  there  is  no  loud  noise,  but  these 
scenes  lead  to  others  still  worse  and  the  temptations 
offered  here  require  a  goodly  sized  purse  and  larger 
salaries  to  support  this  extravagance  than  the  average 
man  commands.  But  it  is  midnight  and  we  must 
make  our  way  to  the  resort  in  the  next  block." 

Descending  a  steep  stairway  they  found  themselves 
at  the  end  of  a  long  room.  The  air  was  reeking  with 
the  fumes  of  smoke,  stale  beer  and  sickening  per 
fumery.  Shouts  and  loud  guffaws  mingled  with  shrill 
peals  of  screamy  laughter.  Glasses  tinkled  amid 


282  CHIQUITA 

the  disconsolate  strains  of  a  discordant  piano,  but 
above  all  other  sounds  were  the  harsh  orders  of  wait 
ers.  "  Draw  six,"  "  one  green  seal,"  "  two  martinis," 
"  four  straight  whiskies,"  "  high  ball  and  two  gin 
fizzes."  Down  the  long  line  of  tables  they  passed  men 
and  women  who  leered  at  each  other,  drinking  to  each 
other's  health,  both  sexes  smoking  cigarettes,  some 
singing,  some  arguing,  some  swearing  such  oaths  that 
the  visitors  fain  would  have  fled  the  place.  At  the 
foot  of  the  staircase,  commanding  the  whole  place  and 
surrounded  by  painted  creatures  in  the  latest  wraps, 
sat  the  proprietor,  a  man  of  fifty,  dark  and  swarthy, 
with  black  curly  hair  and  mustache.  His  face  was 
filled  with  lines,  the  accumulations  of  years  of  de 
bauchery.  Upon  his  hands  were  diamond  rings,  seem 
ingly  too  numerous  to  count,  a  watch  fob  with  more 
gems  than  a  fashionably  dressed  ball  attendant  would 
wear,  hung  below  his  vest,  and  his  shirt  front  was  lit 
erally  ablaze  with  "  sparklers."  The  poor  dupes  about 
him  in  this  whirling  vortex  of  hell  were  receiving  their 
infamous  commissions  for  inducing  men  who  visited 
the  resort  to  purchase  drinks. 

"  And  from  whence  come  these  sisters  and  daugh 
ters?"  asked  Chiquita. 

"  Go  to  the  great  sales  counters  of  some  of  the 
cheaper  grade  of  stores  and  follow  the  life  of  some 
poor  unfortunate;  seek  the  divorce  court  and  find  a 


YOKES  OF  CIVILIZATION  283 

victim  of  misplaced  affection ;  go  to  the  political  foun 
tain  and  gaze  at  the  high  chief  whose  influence  re 
strains  the  guardian  of  the  public  peace  from  interfer 
ing  with  these  dens  of  vice  where  voters  congregate  to 
do  honor  to  the  chief.  Seven  thousand  saloons  in  the 
city,  with  a  following  of  twenty  to  each  saloon  to  vote 
for  their  master  who  wields  the  baton  of  wide-open 
hell  holes  to  the  end  of  obtaining  blood  money  from 
those  who  are  protected!  Senorita,  this  is  the  black 
spot  on  our  fair  Christian  land.  It  is  so  to  a  greater 
or  lesser  degree  in  all  cities,  in  all  lands,  where  civiliza 
tion  endures.  This  bartering  of  and  in  human  souls 
within  the  business  districts  of  Chicago  must  come  to 
an  end.  Now  we  will  step  into  the  police  headquar 
ters,  only  a  block  away,  while  I  ask  the  desk  sergeant 
a  couple  of  questions." 

As  they  started  up  the  steps  leading  to  the  central 
detail  headquarters  a  cab  drove  up  to  the  curb,  and  a 
young  man,  whom  Mr.  Dunbar  immediately  recog 
nized,  stepped  to  the  walk,  followed  by  a  detective  in 
plain  clothes.  They  lifted  a  good-sized  sack  of  some 
thing  from  the  cab  and  carried  it  past  the  late  visitors. 
A  clinking  of  silver  was  easily  recognized  and  Mr. 
Dunbar  became  interested.  He  presumed  the  young 
man  had  just  been  arrested  and  naturally  inquired  the 
cause. 

"  Tommy,  are  you  in  trouble  that  you  come  in  with 


284  CHIQUITA 

an  officer  at  this  hour?"  inquired  Mr.  Dunbar  of  the 
supposed  prisoner. 

Tommy  stopped  and  walked  up  to  the  speaker.  It 
was  some  seconds  before  he  recognized  Mr.  Dunbar 
in  the  disguise  of  a  tourist.  When  he  did  so  he  hesi 
tated  to  confide  the  truth  of  the  circumstances,  but 
finally  acknowledged,  under  promise  that  the  informant 
should  never  be  known,  that  the  sack  contained  over 
five  thousand  dollars,  which  had  been  collected  from 
the  proprietors  of  just  such  dens  of  vice  as  Mr.  Dun- 
bar  had  just  visited. 

"  And  my  business  is  to  count  it,  divide  it  into 
halves  and  quarters  and  deliver  the  respective  bun 
dles  to  those  who  are  high  on  the  throne  of  police 
authority/' 

"  How  often  are  you  called  upon  to  make  this  col 
lection,  division  and  delivery?"  asked  Mr.  Dunbar. 

"  Oh,  once  every  six  weeks  or  so." 

With  that  Mr.  Dunbar  stepped  up  to  the  desk  and 
with  a  bow  naively  asked,  "  Can  you  tell  me  where 
there  is  a  first-class  gambling  hall?  I  am  a  stranger 
to  the  calling,  but  would  like  to  visit  one  of  these  dens 
said  to  be  run  in  Chicago." 

"  An'  who  be  ye  thot  ye  want  a  gamblin*  house  at 
this  time  o'  night?  Get  out  o'  here,  there  be's  not  a 
gamblin'  din  in  all  Chicago  fer  the  last  three  years 
thot  I've  been  on  the  cintral  detail,  is  there,  Jawn?" 


YOKES  OF  CIVILIZATION  285 

And  Mr.  Dunbar  took  his  departure  with  Chiquita. 
In  her  diary  Chiquita  entered  this :  "  Visited  the  most 
horrible  dens  of  vice  imaginable,  the  refinement  of  edu 
cated  debauchery,  literally  sitting  in  the  lap  of  po 
litical  lechery,  hurling  defiance  at  virtue,  decency  and 
respectability." 

During  her  hospital  career  Chiquita  had  many  ex 
periences  outside  of  the  varied  occurrences  in  the  life 
of  a  nurse,  which  added  to  rather  than  detracted  from 
the  perplexities  of  civilizing  her  people.  These  other 
scenes  enacted  in  the  great  empire  of  industry  swept 
all  minor  attractions  away,  leaving  a  dreadful  negative 
photographed  indelibly  upon  her  sensitive  mind, 
whose  films  reproduced  with  startling  detail  not  only 
the  foreground  of  drastic  events,  but  the  background 
reproduction  of  unswerving  determination  on  the  part 
of  political  demagoguery  which  brought  ruination  to 
millions  of  people  and  even  threatened  the  financial 
fabric  of  the  entire  world ;  a  photograph  more  in 
accord  with  the  despotic  days  of  fiddling  Nero  than 
those  of  advanced  civilization  under  the  constitution 
of  the  new  republic. 

While  waiting  for  a  car  that  would  take  her  to  the 
hospital,  Chiquita  noticed  numbers  of  men  in  rather 
shabby  attire  approach  better  clad  individuals  and 
after  a  little  conversation  each  would  go  his  way.  In 
some  instances  the  better  dressed  speaker  put  his  han'd 


286  CHIQUITA 

in  his  pocket  and  handed  the  other  a  coin.  Then  the 
latter  waited  a  time  before  accosting  another  and  then 
another.  Oftener  would  the  better  dressed  individual 
shake  his  head,  even  savagely  repulsing  the  appeal  of 
his  less  fortunate  brother.  One  of  these  solicitors-at- 
alms,  for  such  they  were,  approached  Chiquita,  and  as 
she  presented  no  frowning  or  repellant  mien,  he  po 
litely  doffed  his  cap  and  explained  in  a  few  words  his 
mission. 

"  Pardon  me,  lady,  I  am  unfortunate,  I  am  out  of 
work  and  have  no  place  to  sleep  tonight.  I  have  three 
cents ;  for  five  cents  I  can  get  a  bed.  Will  you  give 
me  a  penny?  I  will  get  another  somewhere." 

Closely  scanning  the  man's  face  she  saw  not  the  har 
dened  lines  of  dissipation,  not  the  pallor  of  the  convict 
nor  the  attenuated  features  of  a  cripple,  but  a  young 
man  in  good  health,  decently  clad,  though  in  rather 
threadbare  clothing.  Chiquita  had  seen  hundreds  of 
men  brought  into  the  hospital  of  all  grades  and  call 
ings  and  had  become  an  adept  as  a  student  of  human 
nature.  The  man  before  her  did  not  shift  his  eyes  nor 
stand  irresolute,  but  the  mournful  voice  and  drooping 
mouth  told  only  too  plainly  that  discouraging,  de 
spondent  tale  thrust  so  suddenly  upon  a  prosperous 
nation  in  1893. 

"Why  are  you  without  work?"  asked  Chiquita. 

"  Canceled  orders  and  help  laid  off  indefinitely," 
replied  the  young  man. 


YOKES  OF  CIVILIZATION  287 

"Why  were  the  orders  canceled?" 

"  I  don't  know  exactly,  but  Wall  street  and  free 
silver  had  something  to  do  with  it." 

"  Had  you  no  money  saved  up  to  fall  back  upon  at 
such  a  time?" 

"  Yes,  ma'am ;  but  the  savings  bank  went  to  the 
wall  and  my  three  hundred,  which  I  had  been  five 
years  getting  together,  went  with  it." 

"  Can't  you  get  a  job  as  porter  rather  than  beg?" 

"  There's  a  thousand  men  waitin'  for  all  the  '  por 
ter  '  jobs.  Lady,  you  don't  know  it,  but  half  the  pop 
ulation  of  this  country  is  out  of  work." 

"  Where  can  you  get  a  bed  for  a  nickel  ?"  asked 
Chiquita,  dubiously. 

"  On  the  west  side  at  one  of  the  '  Friendship ' 
houses." 

"  You  mean  a  whole  bed  and  room  by  yourself?" 

"  Oh,  no,  lady,  just  a  shelf  to  lie  on,  perhaps  an 
old  quilt  to  cover  up  with.  This  costs  a  nickel ;  in  some 
places  we  get  a  '  claim  '  on  the  floor  for  two  cents." 

"  You  say  a  '  claim '  on  the  floor ;  you  don't  pay  for 
sleeping  on  the  floor?"  said  Chiquita,  drawing  back  in 
amazement. 

"  Yes,  we  have  to  pay  for  everything  but  air  in  Chi 
cago.  We  pick  out  our  claim,  first  come,  first  served, 
and  put  down  a  newspaper  for  bed,  cover  up  with  an 
other,  all  for  two  cents ;  but  I  don't  like  the  floor.  The 
other  fellows  step  on  you  when  they  come  in  late." 


288  CHIQUITA 

"  Are  these  places  clean  ?"  timidly  inquired  Chi- 
quita. 

"  Not  very,  ma'am ;  not  like  the  hospital." 

"  Well,  my  poor  fellow,  here  is  a  quarter ;  I  hope  it 
will  do  you  some  good." 

"  Thank  you,  lady." 

Instead  of  going  to  the  hospital  Chiquita  made  a 
pilgrimage  to  one  of  those  well-known  better  class 
lodging  houses,  not  far  from  the  Board  of  Trade. 
Here  she  saw  every  chair  of  a  hundred  or  more  occu 
pied  by  men  similarly  dressed  and  evidently  looking 
for  work.  Of  the  numbers  accosted  all  told  the  same 
tale  of  misfortune  and  all  emphasized  the  deplorable 
condition  of  the  great  manufacturing  industries 
throughout  the  United  States.  There  was  no  work  to 
be  had  at  any  price.  Large  firms  reduced  their  forces 
to  the  lowest  capacity  possible.  Many  curtailed  the 
working  hours  of  all  rather  than  discharge  half  the 
number,  while  one  colossal  corporation  ran  their  works 
at  a  loss,  despite  the  wide  spreading  distrust  prevalent 
during  the  panic,  which  crippled  every  occupation, 
profession  and  calling.  Banks  closed  their  doors,  re 
gardless  of  the  suffering  inflicted,  business  houses, 
shorn  of  their  credit,  dropped  all  attempts  to  sustain 
relations  with  the  world,  and  armies  of  men  thrown 
out  of  employment  had  to  provide  for  themselves  and 
their  families  as  best  they  could. 


YOKES  OF  CIVILIZATION  289 

Money  could  not  be  borrowed.  Even  the  gold- 
bearing  bonds  of  the  United  States  fell  under  the  ban 
of  suspicion;  and  nothing  but  gold,  gold,  gold,  had 
any  intrinsic  value.  The  new  word  which  wrought 
such  dire  disaster  was  Coin,  and  the  bank  notes  pre 
sented  day  after  day  by  Wall  street  sapped  the  gold 
of  the  treasury  until  repudiation  seemed  inevitable. 
The  one  man  upon  whose  shoulders  the  burden  of  dis 
aster  fell,  took  the  oath  of  office  as  President  of  the 
United  States,  on  March  4th,  1893,  the  responsibility 
of  a  bond  issue  being  thrown  upon  him  by  the  outgoing 
administration.  The  new  official  refused  to  declare  his 
policy.  Wall  street  wanted  knowledge  positive  as  to 
the  issuance  of  bonds  with  which  to  buy  gold  to  main 
tain  the  reserve.  Day  followed  day  before  the  ten 
sion  was  relieved  by  a  bond  issue,  which  was  suc 
ceeded  by  other  bond  issues.  The  harm  had  been 
done.  Financial  institutions  bridged  the  torrent  at 
one  place  only  to  succumb  and  plunge  into  the  yawn 
ing  abyss  at  another.  Stagnation  followed  disaster. 
Had  the  new  administration  declined  to  give  gold  for 
the  "  coin "  notes  and  tendered  silver,  could  any 
greater  ruin  have  overtaken  American  commerce? 

Following  in  the  wake  of  the  ghastly  spectre  of 
commercial  ruin,  that  cruel,  remorseless  and  vindic 
tive  vulture,  discontent,  swooped  down  upon  a  far 
reaching  industry,  shrieked  its  defiant  and  soul  curd- 


290  CHIQUITA 

ling  edict  "  Strike,"  and  to  the  consternation  of  the 
world,  labor  organizations  refused  to  temporize.  The 
steam  pulses  ceased  to  beat,  machinery  came  to  a  stand 
still,  the  great  factory  doors  closed  against  wage  earn 
ers  and  the  stupendous  battle  between  iron  handed 
men  of  toil  and  iron  gloved  employer  was  on. 

Aided  by  sympathetic  city  and  state  officials  the 
wage  earners  grew  insolent  and  arbitrary.  Pitying 
the  unfortunate,  misguided  mechanic,  artisan  and  la 
borer,  the  iron  gloved  employer  awaited  until  the  de 
vouring  flame  of  jealousy  and  strife  consumed  itself. 
It  was  under  a  broiling  July  sun  that  Chiquita  and 
Jack  visited  the  scene  to  see  for  themselves  the  ef 
fects  of  newsboys'  hoarse  cries,  ''Extra!  Extra!  All 
about  the  bloody  strike!  The  Stock  Yards  in  dan 
ger  !" 

Regiments  of  soldiers  were  bivouacked  about  the 
postoffice,  on  the  lake  front,  and  at  the  yards.  Dis 
mantled,  untrucked,  costly  palace  cars  blocked  rail 
road  tracks  from  Van  Buren  street  to  the  city  limits. 
In  the  vicinity  of  Thirty-ninth  street  turbulent  masses 
of  muttering,  riotous,  eye-inflamed  sympathizers  con 
gregated  to  watch  the  incoming  United  States  troops 
from  Fort  Sheridan. 

Women,  carrying  babies,  mingled  with  the  angry, 
unruly,  drink-maddened  throng,  urging,  aye,  even 
commanding  more  devastation,  more  wrecking  of 


YOKES  OF  CIVILIZATION  291 

property.  As  the  snail  moving  train  of  army  equip 
ment  was  pulled  along  the  siding,  coupling  pins  were 
drawn  by  the  lawless,  and  as  one  car  was  recoupled 
another  was  detached.  Soldiers,  in  United  States  uni 
form,  endured  insults  of  every  nature. 

A  woman,  acting  as  bodyguard  to  a  crowd  of  jeer 
ing,  taunting  idlers,  stepped  up  to  a  guard  and  spat  in 
his  face,  then  slapped  him  and  in  vulgar  language  de 
rided  him  for  wearing  the  uniform  of -liberty.  The 
soldier  was  powerless  to  resent  the  affront,  and  this 
emboldened  the  vindictive  throng  to  acts  of  greater 
violence.  Turning  to  Chiquita,  Jack  said,  with  shame 
faced  candor,  "  Never  did  I  expect  to  see  my  country's 
flag  humiliated  in  such  a  manner." 

The  officer  of  the  day  approached.  It  was  the  seem 
ing  signal  for  an  outbreak;  a  hundred  throats  re 
sponded  to  the  one  voiced  cry,  "  The  torch !"  "  Burn 
the  train !"  "  Burn  the  Yards !"  The  woman  pushed 
the  man  in  front  of  her  along  the  railroad  track  to 
within  a  few  feet  of  the  officers.  The  crowd  behind 
drew  closer,  their  jeers  dropped  to  sullen,  discontented 
murmurings.  The  officer  held  up  his  hand. 

"  Halt !    Disperse !" 

He  waved  his  hand  for  the  mob  to  go  back,  but  they 
made  no  movement.  The  woman  cried  out,  "  You 
have  no  business  to  stop  us ;"  the  man  in  front  made 
a  rough  remark  and  roared  to  his  followers,  "  Come 


292  CHIQUITA 

on,  we'll  show  'em."  The  officer  backed  away,  calling 
to  a  guard  to  take  a  position  on  a  near-by  fence. 
"  Load  with  ball,  make  ready,  aim,"  pointing  his 
sword  at  the  oncoming  law-breaking,  infuriated  ruf 
fian  who  had  stopped  a  sword's  length  away.  The 
striker  heard  the  words  of  the  officer. 

"  When  I  count  three  I  shall  give  the  command, 
'Fire!'  if  you  and  your  mob  have  not  obeyed  my 
order  to  disperse.  One — two" — 

The  man  looked  at  the  soldier,  at  the  carbine  and 
the  cold  gray  eye  that  followed  along  the  barrel  as 
the  muzzle  sought  the  breast  of  the  leader,  he  meas 
ured  the  distance,  he  heard  the  word  "  two,"  then 
with  despairing  yell  turned  and  fled. 

The  success  of  the  mob  at  another  place  met  with 
cheers  and  shouts  of  approval  as  an  engineer  was  borne 
from  the  cab  of  his  engine  to  a  saloon  across  the  way, 
a  new  recruit  to  the  army  of  disorganized,  rebellious 
workmen,  fed  by  the  ever  ready  impromptu  orator 
seeking  opportunity  to  air  his  views — a  near  friend 
and  close  imitator  of  the  agitator  commissioned 
"  walking  delegate." 

"  Jack,"  said  Chiquita,  "  are  these  scenes,  these 
property-destroying  conflicts  between  employer  and 
employe  necessary  for  the  advancement  of  civilization 
and  fulfillment  of  that  commandment  that  '  Ye  love 
one  another?'  " 


WHENCE  COME  MY  PEOPLE?          293 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

WHENCE  COME  MY  PEOPLE? 

The  holiday  recesses  were  spent  by  Chiquita  in  the 
great  eastern  cities,  where  she  attended  theater,  opera, 
and  many  social  functions  of  greater  or  lesser  magni 
tude. 

After  Jack's  wedding  she  came  to  rely  upon  his 
wife — who  found  the  Indian  Senorita  always  in 
cluded  in  the  invitations  sent  the  Sheppard  house — to 
smooth  the  difficult  paths  of  etiquette  and  to  instruct 
her  in  the  many  formalities  necessarily  omitted  in  her 
college  life,  that  were  imperative  upon  being  presented 
in  the  whirl  of  fashionable  circles.  She  was  wel 
comed  by  various  clubs,  literary  folk,  and  at  state  re 
ceptions — this  grandly  intellectual  daughter  of  a  sav 
age  chief. 

The  first  great  effort  she  made  in  behalf  of  her 
people  was  an  attempt  to  forestall  the  opening  of 
the  great  expanse  of  land  in  the  Indian  Territory  to 
settlement  by  the  white  people.  A  venerable  senator 
from  Massachusetts  espoused  her  cause  sufficiently  to 
awaken  a  hope  in  her  inexperienced  breast  that  the 


294  CHIQUITA 

object  could  be  accomplished.  Another,  from  a  west 
ern  state,  gladly  joined  in  the  undertaking,  while  a 
brilliant  ex-secretary  of  state  devoted  his  energies  in 
her  behalf. 

At  a  memorable  cabinet  meeting  the  question  was 
discussed,  and  in  the  presence  of  that  august  body, 
and  of  the  President  himself,  Chiquita  delivered  her 
appeal,  recounting  step  by  step  the  claims  under  which 
the  prerogative  of  the  Indian  to  the  land  in  question 
should  be  forever  recognized : 

"  Mr.  President,  and  gentlemen  who  constitute  his 
advisers,  you  ask  whence  come  my  people? 

"  For  ages,  as  countless  as  the  sands  of  the  Big 
River,  the  fresh  waters  of  the  great  inland  seas  skirt 
ing  the  first  lofty  range  of  the  Rocky  Mountains 
washed  in  torrents  and  torrents  the  salt  deposited  by 
the  great  upheavals  of  the  western  continent,  through 
the  yawning  canons  which  were  created  by  these  tor 
rents'  own  irresistible  force,  to  the  bases  of  the  great 
barrier  where  the  sun  disappears.  The  fresh  waters' 
encroaching  left  their  alluvial  deposits  further  and 
further  toward  the  setting  sun  in  the  same  manner  as 
the  white  settlers  dispossessed  the  noble  red  warrior 
and  primeval  possessor  of  the  Western  hemisphere. 
The  fresh  waters  divided  and  subdivided  into  smaller 
and  smaller  compasses.  In  these  grand  forest-grown, 
grass-covered  areas  herds  of  wild  horses,  buffalo,  deer, 


WHENCE  COME  MY  PEOPLE?          295 

elk  and  mountain  sheep  found  subsistence.  The  fer 
tile  valleys  and  meadows  were  thronged  with  villages 
of  beaver,  otter  and  mink,  whose  dams  were  over 
grown  with  the  silvery-leafed  aspen  upon  which  these 
busy  families  existed.  The  forests  were  fragrant 
with  fir,  cedar  and  pine,  among  whose  branches  the 
birds  of  the  wood  built  their  nests. 

"  But  before  these  were  other  possessors  of  this 
great  mass  of  tangled  volcanic  eruptions,  at  a  time 
so  remote  that  the  mind  becomes  a  mist,  a  fog  bank  in 
its  endeavor  to  locate  the  date,  and  then  only  as  an 
age,  it  being  impossible  to  determine  the  century. 
The  fossils  of  these  prehistoric  creatures  have  been 
found  in  deposits  over  three  thousand  feet  in  thick 
ness,  species  until  recently  unknown  to  science.  Here 
man  inhabited  dwellings  of  unhewn  stone  cemented 
with  mortar  containing  volcanic  ashes,  at  a  period  so 
long  ago  that  the  waters  were  supposed  to  wash  the 
face  of  the  cliffs  upon  whose  precipitous  side  these  an 
cient  people  lived,  in  evidence  of  which  are  the  fossil 
ized  human  bones. 

"  In  this  legacy  is  found  the  answer,  '  Whence  come 
my  people?'  And  what  nation  has  ever  disputed  the 
title  of  land  conveyed  by  the  Indians  ?  As  early  as  1851, 
when  Colorado  was  organized  as  a  territory,  a  treaty 
was  made  at  Fort  Laramie  with  several  tribes  of  In 
dians,  by  which  the  latter  gave  up  all  the  lands  east  of 


296  CHIQUITA 

the  Rocky  Mountains.  West  of  the  continental  di 
vide  were  the  great  warlike  tribes  of  Utes  extending 
to  the  Sierra  Nevadas,  15,000  free-born  American 
savages  to  whose  necks  the  galling  yoke  of  civilization 
was  to  be  adjusted. 

"  The  Arapahoes,  Cheyennes,  Comanches  and 
Kiowas,  plains  Indians,  were  mild  and  tractable  in 
comparison  with  the  Utes.  These  latter  were  fearless, 
indomitable  warriors,  who  owned  the  forest,  the  river 
beds  and  mountain  crags  by  inheritance  from  Al 
mighty  God,  and  whose  disestablishment  is  written  in 
letters  of  blood  where  the  forest  man  was  the  aggres 
sor  by  retaliation.  But  the  outrages  of  the  new  people, 
the  educated,  civilized  white  man,  must  be  forever  un 
recorded.  Repudiation,  shameless  duplicity,  political 
and  martial  perfidy,  local  and  national,  followed  each 
other  year  after  year  until  1865,  when  the  final  trea 
ties  effected  the  abandonment  of  Colorado  by  the 
plains  Indians,  who  were  removed  to  the  Indian  Ter 
ritory,  where  the  government  agreed  to  pay  each  In 
dian  $40  annually  for  forty  years. 

"  My  people,  the  White  River  Utes,  had  taken  no 
part  in  the  plains  Indian  controversies  with  the  white 
people,  and,  while  the  Utes'  territory  bordered  that  of 
the  Arapahoes  and  Cheyennes,  the  only  courtesies 
were  the  exchanging  of  scalps  and  horses  whenever 
they  met.  The  time  arrived  when  agents  were  ap- 


WHENCE  COME  MY  PEOPLE?         297 

pointed  by  the  government  to  reside  with  each  Indian 
tribe.  These  agents  were  generally  respected  and 
settled  many  jealousies  which  sprang  up  between  the 
various  bands  of  the  tribe. 

"  Nevava,  the  great  Ute  chief  of  the  White  River 
tribes,  had  passed  into  the  Happy  Hunting  Grounds 
and  his  sons  each  claimed  the  inheritance  of  ruler. 
There  were  many  in  the  tribes  who  would  gladly  have 
accepted  the  distinction,  but  Ouray  was  appointed 
chief  over  all,  the  lesser  chiefs  being  forced  to  content 
themselves  with  such  following  as  their  individual 
qualities  could  command.  This  caused  great  jealousy 
and  in  1875  many  conspired  against  Ouray.  The  neg 
lect  of  the  government  to  pay  the  annuities  was 
charged  against  the  big  head  chief,  who  was  said  to  be 
in  collusion  with  certain  white  men  in  depriving  the 
Utes  of  their  goods,  and  the  question  was  ofttimes 
asked,  '  How  comes  Ouray  to  be  so  rich?' 

"  In  1879,  the  venerable  N.  C.  Meeker  was  ap 
pointed  to  take  charge,  as  agent,  of  my  people  at 
White  River.  He  undertook  the  task  of  educating  the 
Ute  warriors  to  plow.  Opposition  met  him  at  the 
start,  for  the  soil  is  no  more  Ute  soil  when  once  broken 
by  the  white  man's  plow. 

"  Aid  from  the  war  department  was  expected  to 
force  the  warriors  to  till  the  soil. 

"  Runners  carried  the  news  to  the  agency  that  a 


298  CHIQUITA 

band  of  Utes  who  had  set  out  to  hunt  had  ambushed 
the  cavalry.  The  final  outcome  of  this  outbreak  cost 
us  our  home  in  Colorado,  for  soon  after  the  relief  of 
the  cavalry  the  White  River  agency  was  abandoned 
and  my  people  removed  to  the  Uintah  Reservation  in 
Utah.  It  is  too  late  now  to  undo  the  wrong  which  re 
sulted  in  the  removal  of  the  Utes  from  Colorado,  but, 
gentlemen,  the  land  given  over  and  set  apart  by  your 
own  government  in  the  Indian  Territory  for  those 
tribes  now  occupying  the  domain  should  be  held 
sacred.  I  appeal  to  you  to  keep  this  land  intact  and 
forbid  its  being  thrown  into  the  hands  of  speculating 
spoilers.  The  Indian  is  not  able  to  cope  with 
the  cunning  of  the  white  brother,  and  he  is  unable 
to  endure  the  conditions  by  which  his  white  brother 
naturally  adapts  himself  to  the  cultivation  of  the  soil, 
the  marketing  of  produce  and  protection  of  estate." 

The  appeal  was  in  vain.  The  political  influence  of 
cattle  barons  proved  too  great,  and  the  concourse  of 
settlers  swallowed  the  territory  in  question.  The  re 
sult  was  very  disheartening  to  Chiquita,  but  she  bore 
up  and  turned  her  attention  to  other  duties,  preparing 
for  the  final  establishment  of  her  home  for  the  aged 
and  infirm  Indians.  This  home  she  decided  to  model 
after  a  plan  of  her  own,  unlike  anything  in  any  city, 
possibly  in  the  world.  Persistent  effort  among  the 
political  leaders  of  both  great  parties  resulted  in  Con- 


WHENCE  COME  MY  PEOPLE?         299 

gress  setting  apart,  in  western  Colorado,  a  large  tract 
equal  to  one  hundred  miles  square,  to  include  a  por 
tion  of  the  land  on  the  north  side  of  the  Grand  River, 
where  it  cut  the  Park  or  Gore  range,  taking  in  the 
old  Ute  trail,  the  camp  in  the  willows,  the  junction  of 
Rock  and  Toponas  Creeks  and  the  high  divide  along 
the  edge  of  Egeria  Park,  where  Jack  froze  his  feet. 

The  tract  of  land  became  by  law  the  National  Hunt 
ing  Ground  of  the  Blanket  Indian,  provision  being 
made  for  the  maintaining  of  the  park,  policing,  stock 
ing  with  game  and  fish,  as  the  same  might  be  killed  or 
disappear.  No  white  man  was  to  be  allowed  to  hunt 
or  fish  under  any  circumstances  within  the  domain, 
no  squaw  with  white  man  husband  and  no  descendants 
of  any  but  full-blooded  Indians  were  to  be  allowed  to 
take  up  residence  within  its  established  lines.  No 
cultivation  of  the  soil  for  domestic  purposes,  no  har 
vesting  of  any  crop  whatsoever,  no  institutions  of  learn 
ing,  no  mercantile  establishments,  no  Indian  agency  to 
obtain  footing,  no  railroad,  no  stage  line  for  tourists, 
no  telegraph  or  telephone  poles  and  no  vehicles  of  any 
kind  were  to  be  tolerated.  Tourists  afoot  or  on  horse 
back  accompanied  by  an  Indian  guide,  a  resident  of 
the  park,  could  travel  and  camp,  the  guide  allowed 
to  kill  game  or  catch  fish  for  his  party  as  food  supply, 
but  no  game  or  fish  to  be  taken  from  the  park.  The 
one  exception  to  all  this  was  the  immense  hospital  and 


300  CHIQUITA 

necessary  minor  buildings,  an  ambulance,  vehicles  and 
paraphernalia  for  conveying  disabled  persons,  supplies 
for  the  hospital,  and  nurses  to  and  from  the  nearest 
railway.  All  food  products,  supplies  and  clothing 
were  to  be  obtained  outside  of  the  park  lines  and  all 
annuities  due  the  Indians  were  to  be  paid  them  at 
agencies  established  without  the  park. 

When  the  bill  making  these  provisions  came  before 
the  upper  house  for  a  final  vote,  a  tall,  white-haired 
senator  responded  to  his  name  and  arose.  Pointing 
with  outstretched  hand  to  the  gallery,  where  a  group 
of  aged,  wrinkled  chiefs  congregated  about  a  fair  In 
dian  girl,  he  said,  in  part : 

"  Tardy  as  this  action  of  the  great  American  people 
may  seem,  I  think  I  echo  the  sentiments  of  both  friends 
and  foes  of  this  persecuted  race  when  I  raise  my 
voice  in  their  behalf.  The  foes  of  the  Indian  are  but 
the  natural  result  of  broken  faith,  and  while  it  may  be 
good  logic  to  say  one  white  man  is  worth  more  than 
all  the  Indians  ever  created,  it  does  not  condone  the 
trespass  committed  when  the  white  man  became  the 
usurper  and  confiscator  of  the  very  thing  given  vol 
untarily  by  his  fathers  and  forefathers.  Follow  the 
patient  man  of  the  forest  as  the  dogs  of  civilization 
barked  at  his  heels,  worrying  him  the  same  as  the 
doe  becomes  affrighted  when  she  hears  the  deep  bay 
of  the  hound  upon  her  track.  Look  at  the  primitive 


WHENCE  COME  MY  PEOPLE?         301 

means  of  defense  with  which  the  noble  red  man  at 
tempted  to  defend  his  domain  against  the  onward 
march  of  civilization.  The  pages  of  the  record  of  this 
chamber,  of  the  war  department,  of  the  department  of 
the  interior  are  dripping  with  the  blood  of  this  race, 
defrauded  of  their  homes,  their  hunting  grounds,  aye, 
gentlemen,  even  their  burrying  grounds.  '  Move  on ! 
Move  on  !'  has  been  the  command  since  1620,  until  this 
handful  of  a  great  and  brave  nation  are  today  but  rem 
nants  of  cowardly  and  degraded  tribes,  made  so  by 
the  damnable  treachery  of  American  white  people  and 
their  civilized  methods  of  aggression.  I  consider  it 
one  of  the  greatest  honors  of  my  life  to  be  able  to  face 
that  faithful,  devoted  Indian  girl,  Chiquita,  and  -cast 
my  vote  f  aye '  in  this  weak  and  tardy  attempt  at  re 
muneration." 

Two  tiny  red  spots  burned  in  Chiquita's  cheeks  as 
the  senator  finished.  She  smiled  at  the  applause  which 
greeted  the  venerable  member  and  prepared  to  listen 
to  the  rest  of  the  voting.  When  the  last  name  was 
called,  before  the  teller  could  announce  the  result,  a 
cheer  from  the  galleries  burst  forth,  every  eye  was 
directed  toward  Chiquita,  and  in  response  to  the  wave 
of  applause  she  arose  and  bowed  her  appreciation  of 
the  action  of  that  august  body. 

But  the  excitement  proved  too  great  a  strain  upon 
her  temperament,  and  she  was  carried  to  the  hotel 


302  CHIQUITA 

in  a  fainting  condition.  As  she  recovered  con 
sciousness,  she  said  to  Hazel,  "  Chiquita  will  be 
one  of  the  first  to  leave  the  National  Hunting  Ground 
for  the  great  Happy  Hunting  Ground  above."  She 
realized  that  her  vitality  was  weakened,  that  over 
work  and  exposure  had  made  her  vulnerable  to 
insidious  disease,  whose  progress  would  be  rapid 
now  that  the  weakened  spots  had  succumbed  to 
its  ravages.  But  she  would  not  give  up  the  cher 
ished  hopes  of  seeing  her  one  aim  in  life  accom 
plished,  the  forest-grown  reservation  where  her  people 
could  forever  hunt  and  fish  without  further  mo 
lestation  or  dividing  up  of  the  land,  and  in  its  center 
wigwams,  lodges,  tepees  and  her  great  hospital  for 
the  sick,  helpless  and  aged  when  they  would  be  unable 
to  take  care  of  themselves. 

Immediate  preparations  were  made  to  carry  out  her 
cherished  wish,  which  had  been  so  many  years  her 
aim.  With  Jack  to  aid  her  the  purchases  of  material 
were  made.  Contracts  were  entered  into  for  the  erec 
tion  of  the  buildings  and  equipment  therefor.  Nurses 
and  attendants  were  engaged  for  the  hospitals,  and 
for  a  year  she  watched  the  accumulating  results 
which  her  education  and  fortune  were  bringing  about. 

But  the  task  of  civilization  was  one  which  nature 
condemned  in  such  a  short  period.  The  overwork  and 
confinement  was  more  than  she  could  endure  and  she 


WHENCE  COME  MY  PEOPLE?         303 

sought  rest  from  the  weary  toil  inflicted  upon  her 
self  in  behalf  of  her  people. 

In  a  grove  of  tall  fir  trees,  close  to  the  placid  waters 
of  the  Grand  River,  Yamanatz  erected  his  tepee,  where 
in  the  soft,  balmy  air,  fragrant  with  balsam  and  cedar, 
Chiquita  could  rest  and  watch  the  clouds  as  they  made 
great  shadow  pictures  on  the  mountain  and  stream. 
Like  a  sentinel,  a  lone  peak  stood  beyond  the  cleft  in 
the  great  divide,  whose  precipitous  sides  rose  in  tow 
ering  splendor  all  clad  in  verdure  green.  The  river 
reflected  on  its  mirror  of  millions  of  tiny  drops  of 
sparkling  water,  the  blue  sky,  the  trees  tinted  red  by  the 
setting  sun,  the  tepee  on  the  bank  of  the  stream  and 
the  mountain  tipped  with  its  cap  of  eternal  snow. 
The  camp  fire  sent  a  spiral  of  thin  blue  smoke  toward 
the  azure  dome,  and  by  the  lurid  coals  two  Utes 
smoked  in  silence.  Within  the  sign-bedecked  tepee, 
upon  a  couch  of  lion  skins,  lay  Chiquita,  clad  in  hunt 
ing  garb,  her  rifle  and  fishing  rod  beside  her.  Yama 
natz,  Antelope,  Jack,  and  the  mother  of  Chiquita 
stood  by,  while  the  fairest  of  the  White  River  maid 
ens  told  them  of  the  great  happiness  which  awaited 
her  in  the  Happy  Hunting  Ground  of  the  Utes  which 
lay  just  beyond  the  sky. 

"  If  my  father  and  my  mother  were  only  there," 
said  Chiquita,  as  she  pointed  beyond  the  cleft  above 
the  river.  "  And,  Jack,"  she  continued,  "  you  must  beg 


304  CHIQUITA 

leave  of  absence  from  the  heaven  of  the  white  man  and 
visit  Chiquita  in  her  happy  home.  You  will  find  birds 
that  sing  and  the  bounding  deer  and  flowers  that 
bloom.  The  warriors  of  many,  many  snows  are  gath 
ered  there  and  you  will  see  the  Utes  in  all  their  gran 
deur,  as  they  were  before  the  white  man  took  their 
land." 

"  But  what  of  your  friends,  Chiquita,  those  who 
taught  you  of  the  religion  of  our  people,  of  the  only 
Christ  who  died  to  save  mankind?"  asked  Jack,  as  he 
recalled  the  years  and  years  of  Chiquita's  life  in 
school,  in  college,  in  the  hospital,  the  church  and  in 
the  society  of  the  ablest  women  of  the  nineteenth  cen 
tury. 

"  Ah,  Jack !"  Chiquita  waited  a  moment,  then  with 
her  bright  eyes  reflecting  the  love  of  the  forest  queen 
for  her  native  haunts,  customs  and  the  freedom  of  the 
woods,  she  continued,  "  The  God  who  gave  you  the 
Christ  gave  you  also  wisdom,  and  with  that  wisdom 
cruel  weapons  to  drive  the  weaker  to  destruction. 
The  paleface  has  driven  the  red  man  to  his  death.  My 
people  share  not  the  needs  nor  desires  which  civiliza 
tion  brings  to  the  white  brethren,  nor  the  society  de 
mands  which  make  our  paleface  sister  a  slave  to  her 
calling.  Jack,  I  have  lived  among  my  white  sisters, 
I  have  been  one  of  them,  been  sought  for,  banqueted, 
heralded  and  had  tributes  of  honor  thrust  upon  me. 


WHENCE  COME  MY  PEOPLE?          305 

No  school,  no  church,  no  institution  of  science,  no 
club,  no  society,  no  matter  how  select,  has  been  other 
than  glad  to  have  Chiquita  honor  them  with  her  pres 
ence.  With  wealth  untold  and  accomplishments  unat- 
tained  before  by  any  woman  in  the  world,  Chiquita 
returns  to  her  forest  home  for  peace  and  contentment. 
'  In  my  Father's  house  are  many  mansions.'  Yes,  Jack, 
and  the  tepees  of  the  great  Indian  nation  stretch  be 
yond  the  sky  to  welcome  Chiquita.  See,  Jack,  father, 
mother,  the  braves  in  all  their  glorious  array  are  wait 
ing  for  Chiquita !  '  Our  Father/  the  Great  Spirit  of 
both  the  red  and  white  man,  welcomes.  It  is  in  the 
peace  of  the  Happy  Hunting  Ground  that  we  find  rest. 
Adios,  Jack.  The  great  Yamanatz  will  soon  follow 
and  it  will  not  be  long  ere  all  my  people  are  as  the 
buffalo,  and  the  white  man  alone  in  the  land  that 
once  was  a  paradise,  but  the  mockery  of  civilization 
turned  it  into  a  stench  hole  of  iniquity  and  market 
place  of  educated  vampires,  against  which  the  child 
of  the  forest  of  the  same  God  had  no" —  The  voice 
failed  to  respond  to  the  effort.  Chiquita  was  dead. 
And  with  her  was  buried  that  undying,  unquenchable, 
unsung  love  which  consumed  her  heart. 

A  camp  bird,  in  subdued  autumn  plumage  of  black 
and  pearl  gray,  mewed  plaintively  as  the  old  war 
rior  came  forth  from  the  tepee.  The  wrinkled 
visaged  chief  beat  his  breast  and  muttered  in  Ute  dia- 


306  CHIQUITA 

lect  the  prayers  of  a  bereaved  father  for  a  dead  daugh 
ter.  The  old  "  medicine  "  chief  ceased  to  bang  the 
tom-tom  and  the  jargon  of  the  squaws  was  silenced. 
Jack  looked  on  with  keen  disappointment.  For  years 
he  had  watched  and  sympathized  witE  Chiquita  in 
her  ambition;  and  now  at  the  last  turn  in  the  great 
course  of  life,  after  tasting  nearly  every  phase  of  civ 
ilized  honor,  she  had  returned  to  the  religion  of  her 
fathers  and  died  with  utter  contempt  in  her  heart  for 
the  foibles  and  allurements  of  civilization,  civilized 
society  and  civilized  government. 


M12038 


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